


Be Gay, Do Crimes: Ros Vs Everything, Apparently

by pumpkinpaperweight



Series: my OCs [2]
Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Next-Gen, also does it count as rivals to lovers if the rivalry is fake?, bastards (affectionate), even gayer than the first!!!!!!!, i don't think there's a trope that can even begin to describe ros and amelie, is hot evil lady a trope?, ros is her father's narrative foil n she hates it so fckn much, the sequel to alex vs, you can read it without reading avs tho i'm trying to make sure of it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:35:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 89,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22652614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pumpkinpaperweight/pseuds/pumpkinpaperweight
Summary: Rosalind hadn’t thought it would be so difficult.Go to the School for Good and Evil, take the rank of Class Captain, make sure her twin brother doesn’t get any bother. Easy.But the further Ros gets into her year at the School, the more she becomes entangled with other people’s problems. Not only that; soon, it becomes apparent that there’s a new threat developing. And it affects both the students in the school and the people of the Endless Woods; including Ros and Marcus’s older sister Alex, out touring the Woods on a secretive quest…
Relationships: Agatha/Tedros (The School for Good and Evil)
Series: my OCs [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1629490
Comments: 153
Kudos: 160





	1. sorry boys, the only "d" I crave is degeneracy

**Author's Note:**

> whole fic notes:  
> \- DISCLAIMER: this was published on feb.10th 2020. hence, OTK is not out yet. when it does come out, it will probably ruin everything, and someone who's alive in this will be dead in canon or something. please just suspend your disbelief if this happens. thanks kdhsjkk xx  
> \- this can be read without having read alex vs first! might occasionally be confusing but mostly it's completely new, so no worries  
> \- some of these characters and ideas are shared with my sister, aimee (who doesn't have any sge accounts lmao) so I can't claim credit for most of the chapter names, the avalon towers lot, or the jaunt jolie lot. everything else is my baby tho lmao and we masterminded the plot together

“Look, boys! How quaint.” says Ros, leaning back on the pommel of her saddle. “The rabble.” 

Marcus and Chinhae both turn from fussing over their own horses, and follow her gaze to the rider at the end of the woodland path. 

“Is that who I think that is?” asks Marcus flatly. 

“Your future brother in law? Yes.”

Marcus stares, aghast, at his sister. Ros sighs. 

“Kidding, Mark. Yes, it’s Gerald.”

“How did he find us?” asks Chinhae, urging his horse over to stand with Rosalind’s. Rosalind shrugs.

“Beats me.”

She thinks she’s supposed to be flattered. That’s what that stupid book said, anyhow. What was it called?  _ A Good Princess's Guide to Courting and Marriageability,  _ that was it. Ugh. Her mother had recoiled just as hard as Ros herself when Lady Dinsmore had slid it over the table to her, with the suggestion that it would  _ give you an advantage over all the other princesses when you go to the School for Good! _

Ros didn’t think it would give anyone  _ anything _ , except maybe a headache. She’d read it, though, and the finger-wagging, simpering tone had lodged firmly in her brain;

**_Chapter 2: The Arrival of Suitors_ **

_Suitors arriving is an exciting time in a young Princess's life! However,_ _you should receive all their attentions with dignity and grace, not girlish excitement. A true Princess should remain inscrutable until she has definitely decided on a favourite. Do not give a boy false hope!_

Well, she definitely hadn’t given Gerald any  _ false hope.  _ The cold shoulder and lots of excuses, sure, but no false hope. He’d manifested that himself. 

She stares vaguely in his direction, wondering what to do about him. He's a very showy rider. Going much faster than he ought to, and not paying proper attention, in favour of staring over at her...

“--surprised he’s come alone, honestly.” Marcus is saying. Ros turns back to them.

“Yeah, he could have at least brought one of Chinhae’s poets with him.”

Chinhae looks uncomfortable.

“My mother made sure none of them followed us here.” he says, but he looks a little uncertain.

Ros frowns.

"I thought they just manifested, wherever you were. Like flies on a dead body."

"That's an  _ awful _ comparison."

"Erm," interrupts Marcus, "Are we just letting him come over?"

Ros turns to see Gerald approaching more rapidly. His stupid square head with its swirl of gelled hair is becoming more distinct.

"No." She says. "We've been called back onto the castle on urgent business." She turns her horse towards the bridleway, deliberately not looking Gerald's way. "Mark, our old man's got another grey hair. He needs our emotional support in this trying time. Come on, boys."

* * *

It's not long until they can hear an extra pair of hooves approaching rapidly behind them.

"Speed up." Says Ros thinly. 

"He's going to work out we're running away." Points out Marcus, keeping up easily with her. Horsemanship is his one and only athletic talent, probably because it doesn't actually require any brute strength, of which he is somewhat lacking. Ros thinks that if he's a good rider, he should try jousting. Everyone else, including Marcus himself, thinks he shouldn't. 

Ros supposes his chances of getting punted several miles out into the Savage Sea are pretty high.

Marcus is tall, as tall as Rosalind (though a few inches shorter than Alex, their towering older sister) but undeniably scrawny, all awkward stances and knobbly knees. Everything is pointed, from his jaw to his nose to how his elbows stick out. He’d probably look rather intimidating if it wasn’t for his overbite and the thick, metal-rimmed glasses that magnify his eyes at certain angles. It usually makes him look guileless, but Ros knows full well that’s not the case. He looks naive,  _ until _ he’s working through some problem, at which point his gaze matches his brain-- keen and piercing. 

In almost every aspect, he’s like his mother, apart from the thick curls and the easily distracted, occasionally prickly, temperament that their father had lent him--

"He's shouting." Says Chinhae from behind them, cutting into Rosalind’s analysis of her twin. "Your name."

"Good for him." Says Ros. She can hear a faint noise, but it's mostly drowned out by the thundering hooves. But she doesn’t have Chinhae’s hearing.

"I think he wants you to fall back and ride with him." adds her friend. 

"Not happening."

"I didn't think it would be." Agrees Chinhae.

They ride in silence for a little longer. The hooves behind them get louder--

"Now it's uncomplimentary muttering about Marcus." Says Chinhae. "He thinks he's making you do this. He also said some… other things." 

Ros thinks she can take a guess at what the  _ other things _ are. Although she doesn't look back, her eyes narrow.

"What's new?" Mutters Marcus, but Ros can see him going red out of the corner of her eye.

Rosalind's hands tighten on the reins.

"Is he now? Thanks, bat boy."

She thinks she gets a reproving stare for that, but she can't really tell, facing away from Chinhae as she is. Given that his unusually heightened senses are probably a result of something rather unpleasant, she should maybe be a bit more sensitive to it, but she knows he doesn't particularly mind. There are other things that bother him more. 

"Well..." she says, "Gerald should know better than to talk badly about the Prince."

Marcus shoots her a look.

"Ros, what are you--"

"Oh, look." Says Ros. "A log. Might need to jump over that."

"...I can't see a log." Says Marcus.

"I know." Says Ros. She looks over her shoulder.

Behind them, Gerald looks down, and swears. He abruptly digs his heels into his horse's sides, preparing for a jump--

Jump he does, completely missing the fact there's a branch now directly in line with his head.

Chinhae and Marcus both cringe at the smack as his head connects with the wood, and cringe again at the thud as he lands in the leaves, knocked straight out of the saddle. His horse bolts, disappearing into the trees off the path. 

"Oh, no." Says Ros. "Silly Gerald. There was no log after all." 

" _ Ros _ ." Hisses Marcus. Chinhae stares warily at the groaning suitor on the ground. 

Ros waves them both off.

"Oh, he's fine. Shall we go and pretend to be concerned?"

Marcus doesn’t look happy, but he sighs.

"I'll get his horse." 

"I appreciate your reluctance to show any sympathy." 

"That's not what I--" 

Ros swings down from her horse and marches across the leaf-strewn path towards Gerald's prone figure. Marcus rolls his eyes and spurs his horse in chase of Gerald's. Chinhae silently follows Rosalind's lead.

Gerald tries to sit up the second he sees Ros, but Ros pushes him back down.

"Don't be ridiculous, you might have a concussion."

"I'm fine." Says Gerald eagerly, scrabbling up again with a surprising energy for someone just nailed in the face with a branch. "Just fine."

_ Drat _ . Thinks Ros.

"Oh, good." Says Ros. 

"Your head is bleeding." Chinhae informs him. "You should lie down."

Gerald shoots Chinhae a displeased look. Ros groans internally. She knows full well he thinks of Chinhae as a rival for her hand, which is ridiculous.

"No--"

"Lie down." Says Ros, slightly sharper than she'd intended. He does, though, and stares hopefully at her from the ground.

She'd say he was like a dog, but that would be unfair to dogs. Dogs didn't call her older sister  _ simple _ , cut out the  _ Royal Rot _ cartoons that mocked Marcus and slide them under his door, or follow her father around in a feverish attempt to win his favour.

(Actually, maybe they had that last one in common.) 

But Gerald was just another face in a long line of noblemen's sons who tagged along to Camelot in fruitless attempts to woo their famous princess. His face just happened to be a particularly repugnant one.

"I think you should stay there for now." Says Ros, examining the cut in his brow. It's disappointingly shallow. Just long. "We'll return to the palace and send some people to collect you, seeing as you're injured. My brother's gone to fetch your horse. He'll take it back to the stables for you."

Gerald frowns.

"He has?"

"Yes, which is  _ very kind of him. _ " Says Ros pointedly. 

"Yes." Mutters Gerald reluctantly. "Very kind."

"Well, then." Ros turns back to her horse. "We won't be long."

* * *

"Are you even going to send anyone?" Asks Chinhae, the second they're out of earshot.

"Seeing as I have a small modicum of respect for his father, despite his pig-headed son, yes."

"I'll rephrase." He sighs. "Are you going to send someone  _ quickly _ ?"

"Depends how I feel when we get back." Says Rosalind. 

"I think everyone would rather he  _ didn't _ get mauled by a bear." 

"Mm." Says Ros. Chinhae raises his eyes skyward, but doesn't push it any further.

They're an extremely incongruous pair, but also simultaneously very similar. Prince Chinhae of Avalon Towers and Princess Rosalind of Camelot, both the ethereally handsome children of extremely powerful Ever leaders, and both somewhat lacking in the  _ friends _ department. Rosalind's deficiency is caused by her refusal to suffer fools and her insistence on hanging around with her serious, occasionally prickly brother, and Chinhae's by monosyllabism and inability to effectively get rid of poisonous hangers-on. He's too polite, and she uses the line between  _ passive aggressive _ and  _ rude _ as a skipping rope.

It doesn't stop them both being subject to a plague of locusts (read: suitors) though. While Chinhae is the only official heir between them, they'll both be supremely rich and powerful when their parents snuff it, and people have begun to catch on to Rosalind's sister's reluctance to inherit the throne. The look on Alex's face every time it was brought up had begun to imply intentions of abdication. Ros doesn’t know why they’re surprised. Alex has never been interested in governance or politics or, really, having power at all. She’d always let Ros and Marcus decide on games as children, and, even now, on her fourth-year quest as a Leader, Ros can’t see that she’s doing much actual  _ leading _ . She likes to be collaborative, and tends to only take charge when it’s absolutely necessary. It’s obvious from the way that she hangs around with the father’s knights that she’d be much happier running around in a suit of armour, toting her beloved spear.

So, slowly, eyes had started to shift to the sister second in line, Rosalind, two hours older than her twin brother. 

It wasn't as if she hadn't dealt with suitors before that point, but this had definitely exacerbated it. Similarly, as Chinhae’s mother began to become ill more frequently, more and more admirers had made themselves known. 

Chinhae glances at her as the spires of Camelot’s palace come into view. 

“Why don’t you use it to make yourself less beautiful?” he asks.

“Use what?” asks Ros idly. 

“You  _ know _ what.” says Chinhae reprovingly.

“Quite sure I don’t.” 

“ _ Silly Gerald, there was no log, after all.  _ Your words.”

“Maybe he needs glasses.”

Chinhae turns to her, usually calm face showing hints of exasperation.

“I  _ know _ you created a log, Ros.” 

“I didn’t create a log.” says Ros dismissively. “I created the illusion of one. It’s different.”

“So that’s what they are? Illusions?” Chinhae leans forwards in the saddle, incredulous.  _ “You can already do magic?” _

“Illusions  _ only _ .” Ros dismisses. “Not from lack of trying, mind you. But I think I’ll have to wait to go to the School before I can do anything else.”

“But… how?”

“Beats me.” says Ros. “Ask Mark, he’s the one who’s obsessed with magical theory.”

“You haven’t researched it?”

“Somehow, Chae, I think people would ask questions if they saw me toting around books about illusions and illusionists, all the time. Marcus can just pretend it’s a new project. I can’t pretend they’re my usual trashy romance novels, can I?”

“ _ You _ read trashy romance novels?” Grins Chinhae-- then frowns. “Wait, people don’t  _ know _ ?”

Rosalind watches a pair of rabbits run across their path, frowning. 

“I felt it would be better if fewer people knew, yes.”

“Who knows, then?”

“Marcus. My parents and Alex. You.”

“All you told me, before today, was vague things about people seeing what wasn’t there.”

“Well, letters can get intercepted.” shrugged Ros. “And anyway, you worked it out.”

“Eventually.” Chinhae sighs. “Well, the question still stands. If you hate the suitors so much, why don’t you just make them see something different?”

“It wouldn’t work.” dismisses Rosalind. “My likeness is in every paper in the Woods at least twice a month, and I don’t deal in altering memories.”

She catches sight of herself in a pond as they head onto the main path. 

Red as blood, white as snow, black as ebony. A beautiful daughter for a father so handsome there was a war over him.

(The war was not  _ technically _ over Tedros being good-looking, but that was the way he liked to tell it. It wasn’t  _ completely  _ a lie, but it was definitely an exaggeration.)

Chinhae frowns.

“Surely you can make people look a little less appealing. Just for a bit.”

“It doesn’t  _ work _ like that.” emphasises Ros, again. 

“But you can make Gerald see a log?”

“A log is a log. Beauty is relative, sweets. I could make someone  _ more  _ beautiful, just a tad, but if their face is already known, no one would believe that suddenly they’ve manifested nose hair, wrinkles, or a hairy mole.” she eyes him. “ _ Especially  _ if half the teenage population of the Woods has memorised every pore of your face.”

Chinhae sighs.

“I don’t think it’s  _ half.” _

Ros ignores him, because it is.

“Why?” she says. “Am I sensing that the  _ Angel of Avalon Towers  _ wants to downgrade to the  _ Averagely Good Looking Prince of Avalon Towers? _ ”

For Chinhae is perhaps her only rival in beauty, not that he would want to be told so, or that Ros would ever want to admit it. His eyes have an alluring, almost liquid quality about them, that painters never seem to do justice. They can get the noble jaw and the straight nose and the sweep of dark hair and the sharpness and neatness of his brows, fine. Rosalind has wished very often that she could have Chinhae's eyebrows. If she was willing to put in the effort, she could, but that's besides the point.  _ She _ still knows she hasn't got them. Besides, she thinks she can manage to be content with the fact that she has perfect skin and Chinhae’s is acne-prone. Not that painters ever seem to notice that.

But, nevertheless, the main fault that Ros finds with his portraits is the eyes. They’ve never been able to capture the shimmering, hypnotising quality of his eyes.

Chinhae winces at the nickname.

“No-oo.” he says, unconvincingly. “I just thought it might be… easier. For everyone.”

“Not for me.” says Ros, a little more sympathetically. “It takes a lot of energy.”

“I know. Sorry. I didn’t really expect anything of you.” Chinhae ducks his head and fiddles with the reins. Rosalind purses her lips. 

“Sorry, Chae. Not my fault your mother was voted  _ Hottest Monarch in the Woods  _ for six years in a row. Just rub mud on your face, or something. Knock a tooth out.”

He ignores her suggestions.

“Isn’t that usually the award your father gets?” 

Ros shrugs.

“He doesn’t deserve it, his nose is off-centre.” 

Chinhae smiles, but it’s half-hearted. Ros feels a little guilty. She’s not wrong-- it does take a lot of energy to do what she does, and no one would  _ ever _ believe that the blindingly handsome Chinhae had suddenly become unattractive, the same way no one would ever believe it of her. Besides, she couldn’t do it to the whole  _ Woods _ . But she understands the sentiment.

_ Oh, woe is me, I’m too pretty. What a sad life.  _ No wonder Chinhae usually refuses to be ungrateful for his face. But if your face came with feral poets trying to break into the palace to sing you their odes, lecherous nobles, and creepy reporters trying to climb trees to see into your rooms, you’d probably resent it, too. It's not as if they're the only pretty people in the Woods-- Ros can think of at least ten people, including her father, aunt, and Alex's friend Talib, who would also count-- but they're the youngest, and they have the terrible disadvantage of being unattached and unmarried, which means a deluge of  _ official letters of interest  _ addressed to their parents. Ros doesn’t know what Empress Eunha does with Chinhae’s, but she knows that  _ her  _ father doesn’t read them, and makes origami out of them when he’s bored at meetings. Usually frogs. 

So, Ros has become proficient at getting rid of suitors, and frequently makes a game out of it, often enlisting her family’s help to send entitled brats fleeing with their tails between their legs. 

But Chinhae is too afraid of hurting their feelings, which means he doesn’t set any kind of boundaries. 

Ros watches him riding in front of her, notices his hunched shoulders and the way he looks around every time they hear a noise. 

Sighing, she urges her horse forwards, so she can ride next to him.

"What was he saying about Marcus?" She asks. Chinhae shoots her a wary look, but then seems to decide they're too close to the palace for her to attempt to return to Gerald and bash his head in.

"Typical things." He says. "Making fun of his teeth, claiming he's not your father's son, convincing himself that Marcus is forcing you to stay away from him--"

"Hah!"

"--and wondering if he could get away with beating him up."

Rosalind's mirth dies a quick death.

"He said that?"

"He won't do it, will he?" Says Chinhae anxiously. 

In truth, Rosalind isn't certain. In theory, no; Marcus is a Prince and the punishment for attempting to curb-stomp the Prince would make the whole endeavour definitely not worth it. But Gerald is a suitor, and suitors for Ros have proven themselves to be incredibly stupid thus far; case in point being Fin, who had been bludgeoned with a mace in a tournament whilst attempting to win Rosalind’s favour, then sworn princesses off forever.  _ Ros  _ hadn’t told him to enter the melee section. Or enter it at all, for that matter. She’d actually never seen him before. 

"Well, If he does try, he won't last long." Says Ros grimly. Chinhae contemplates this.

"I suppose you'd be scraping him off the floor after your mother gets her hands on him."

Queen Agatha, is not, in practice, a particularly violent person. She doesn't train with weapons like her husband and daughters, and spends more time reading on the floor, eating food pilfered from the kitchens, and doing the paperwork. 

She does, however, know a few too many dubious hexes. How she knows them is unclear. Whether she is  _ supposed _ to know them is even murkier.

She definitely still knows how to do them, though. 

"Yeah, he'd be dead before he landed the first punch." Agrees Ros, abandoning her own thoughts of drowning Gerald in the soup vats at dinner as they approach the gates. "Shall we go and eat, then?"

"...Ros."

"I will  _ inform _ someone on the way in, Chae." Ros spots Marcus, already at the stables, and waves to him. Then she turns back to Chinhae. 

"Honestly, man, what do you take me for?" 

* * *

They encounter Gerald’s father on the way out of the stables, helpfully.

He catches sight of them approaching, and turns away from the stablehand to bow to them.

“Good evening, your highnesses. Would I be correct in assuming that this is about Gerald?”

He looks rather pained as he says it. At least  _ he’s  _ got sense, even if he couldn’t pass it down to his son.

“Yes, Lord Atkinson.” says Rosalind. “Gerald got into a spot of mischief in the forest, rode into a branch whilst--”

“Whilst following you?” guesses Lord Atkinson tiredly.

“It certainly could be put that way.” agrees Rosalind. 

Atkinson sighs.

“I’m terribly sorry, Princess. He won’t listen to a word I say. Is he still out there?”

Rosalind catches sight, through the open palace doors, of two people stood in the Entrance Hall-- one tall and dark-haired, and one slightly taller and much sparklier. They appeared to be arguing.

“Yes,” she says vaguely. “We felt it was best he didn’t move, in case he was as badly injured as we h--”

“As we had initially thought. _ ” _ interrupts Marcus, saving Rosalind from absent-mindedly saying  _ hoped _ . “He’s fine, we think, but it’s better to be safe.”

“Good call.” says Atkinson, mercifully missing Rosalind’s slip. “Thank you for informing me. Was that his horse that you brought back, Prince Marcus?”

“Yes. It bolted so I went to retrieve it.”

“I see. Thank you very much. I’ll ride out and get him, now. Sorry for the trouble.”

He bows again and goes hurrying off towards the stables.

“He’s much nicer than his son.” observes Chinhae. 

“Would help if he’d passed down some spine, wouldn’t it?” Agrees Ros, turning towards the palace. “Now, I do believe I just saw my mother arguing with one Min Seohun, royal stylist of Avalon Towers. Shall we go and get involved?”

  
  



	2. dorian gray had the right idea

“You can’t wear a sweater with a  _ tiara _ !” Seohun is pleading when they enter. “Especially not when the sweater’s  _ brown!” _

Agatha blinks at him, picking bobbles from the sleeves of said sweater.

“I was cold.”

“Fashion doesn’t feel the elements, your highness!”

“Well,  _ I  _ do.”

Seohun grinds his teeth.

“ _ Please  _ let me reform your wardrobe.”

“Absolutely not.” says Agatha cheerfully. Seohun looks as if he’d tear his hair out, only he’s wearing a wig, so he refrains. Today, it’s long and platinum blonde, shot through with sparkly strands of silver thread, so that he gets the correct amount of shimmer when he tosses his head. Which he does a lot. 

“At least just for dinner? Tonight?” He pleads.

“It’s not even a formal dinner, Seohun.”

“You’re hosting the  _ Empress _ !”

“Who, as I’m sure you know, much prefers  _ informal  _ dinners.” Agatha notices them approaching. “Oh, you’re back. Good ride?”

“Lovely,” says Ros, “Gerald rode into a tree.”

Agatha shoots her a searching look.

“Did he get  _ distracted _ ?”

Before Ros can reply, Seohun has descended on her.

“Oh, thank god, the only fashion-forward member of this family has come to save me. Tell your mother to take that off, won’t you?”

Rosalind tries to work out if she’d rather wind up Seohun, or agree with him. She’s too slow, so he whirls to Chinhae. 

“Chae, tell her.”

“I don’t think I can give orders to Queen Agatha, Seohun.” sighs Chinhae. 

Seohun looks hopelessly back at Agatha. 

“I can take the tiara off?” offers Agatha.

Seohun groans and goes marching off in a whirl of silver silks. 

“SORRY I’M NOT AS STYLISH AS EUNHA!” Agatha shouts after him. Chinhae sighs.

“Sorry. He gets critical when he’s got nothing to do.”

Marcus frowns.

“I thought he was making a hat for Ros?”

“He’s made  _ several _ hats by now.” says Ros. "I need to ask him to make some suits to match them."

Agatha is squinting down at the offending sweater.

“It  _ is  _ pretty bad.” admits Ros.

“It was my mother’s originally, of course it is.” says Agatha dismissively. "Warm, though."

Marcus frowns.

"I thought you don't really go back to Gavaldon. How come you've got that?"

"I was wearing it when she died." Mutters Agatha. 

Ros, Chinhae and Marcus exchange wary glances. They're in territory they don't usually brave. 

"Er, and it still fits?" Says Ros.

"It's stretched." Agatha glances at the clock. "We should probably go and get ready. You all smell of horse, and I need to find something that won't hurt Seohun, physically. And on the way up, you can tell me what happened to Gerald."

Ros opens her mouth--

"What  _ actually _ happened to Gerald." Says Agatha pointedly.

Ros grins.

* * *

"I think Princess Emelina will get in." Says Tedros darkly, at dinner that night. "King Adrian's daughter." 

They're discussing (read: gossiping about) who, out of the royal children known to them, they think will make it into the School for Good and Evil. So far, the suggestions have been terrible.

Ros snorts. Emelina of Jaunt Jolie is a vacuous, self-serving, hateful brat with nothing interesting about her. She's just good-looking. If her father, King Adrian, wasn't so powerful, and wasn't so popular, she'd have been making Emelina's life hell for years, now.

"That simpering schemer? You can't believe that the School Master would let that happen."

Her father frowns.

"I was on about Evil, actually." 

"So was I." Murmurs Ros, ripping the shell off a prawn. 

Tedros looks bewildered.

"You think she's…  _ Too _ evil for evil?"

"I see what you mean." Muses Empress Eunha of Avalon Towers, from where she's sat between her husband, Jun, and Agatha. "Seohun? What do you think?"

Ros starts. She'd completely forgotten, until now, that Seohun was an alumni of the School for Evil. Something that Eunha had completely ignored when she appointed him. 

"She's not got enough substance." Declares Seohun. "It's all self-serving pettiness. No grand plans."

Eunha looks amused, slinging her braid over her back. 

"You abandoned your elaborate military coup quest to work as a royal stylist." 

"Fashion  _ is _ a grand plan." Says Seohun primly. The guard stationed behind Chinhae rolls her eyes. 

"You can tell Sophie taught you." Mutters Agatha.

"She had nothing to do with it." Says Seohun firmly. "Besides, she's wasting her potential teaching brats. I am  _ not _ ."

Eunha and Agatha exchange amused glances. They're similar in colouring, but Eunha wears her hair much longer, and has a regal air about her that Agatha has never been able to master. It's clear, though, that Agatha is in much better health-- they're both thin and pale, but Agatha's is genetics and Eunha's is the result of years of illness. She'd once been one of the most beautiful women in the Woods, and while it's not exactly  _ gone _ , her considerable height and stature have been diminished, and she always looks a little hollow, even when she's at her best. 

Her mind, however, has not been diminished in the least. There's a reason no one picks fights with Avalon Towers. 

"What about her sister? That short one?" Muses Tedros, taking Rosalind's rejected mussels from her plate. "What's her name, Jane? Adrian's oldest one. The one he keeps in the basement."

He looks hopefully at Agatha.

" _ Basement _ ?" Says Agatha incredulously.

"We went to the christening. She's a few months older than Marcus and Ros."

"How many months?"

"Six? Or so?"

"I was too busy with morning sickness to remember, then."

"Oh. Yeah, you did spend most of it looking unwell and telling people who asked if you were pregnant to piss off, even though you were."

"Do you mean  _ Jade _ ?" Infers Jun, finally looking up from his plate. Tedros grins in triumph.

"Yeah! That one. Oldest one." 

"I… don't think he keeps her in the basement, Tedros."

Tedros shrugs.

"He may as well do. Never see the girl, which is why I don't know her name. Is part of his  _ For the People _ agenda making one of his children live like a prisoner?"

"Whilst pampering his other two into oblivion." Mutters Eunha.

Ros sees Marcus and Chinhae exchange smirks. Eunha and Adrian's mutual hatred for each other is the subject of much amusing court gossip. Everyone knows about the Pea Incident.

"Is she not too old to apply, though?" Muses Jun. 

"Just in the bracket, I think." Says Eunha. "I think the cutoff is October X653 and she was born in the December."

"At least  _ someone _ pays attention to christenings." Sighs Tedros. 

"Anyone know if she applied?" Jun peers down the table at the three teenagers. He's met with a cluster of shrugs and  _ don't know _ s.

He smiles widely.

"Well _ ,  _ Chae applied, didn’t you, darling?"

"Everyone knows, you told them the second I did it." Mumbles Chinhae. 

"It's exciting!" Defends Jun. "I think you'll get in." He adds.

Chinhae frowns.

"Let's not say that until we know."

But Jun is already peering at Ros and Marcus.

"Did you two apply?"

Ros pokes absently at the rice on her plate, gripping her fork rather tightly.

"Yeah." She says shortly. "We both did."

Jun nods slowly, but he looks concerned.

"Are you worried you won't both get in?" He asks carefully. 

Marcus looks at Ros. Ros shoots him a warning glance in reply.

"I suppose." She says slowly. "Twins are rare at the school." 

"Rare, not unheard of!" Says Jun brightly. "How could they say no? I bet you'll both get in."

Ros attempts to smile back. Chinhae's father may be an idiot, but she's something of an expert on stupid fathers, and his enthusiasm and encouragement are unparalleled. 

Chinhae frowns at Ros.

"Didn't you say, yesterday, there was a chance you'd both get to go?"

Ros stares at him. 

Her neck prickles, and she gets the distinct impression that her father is looking at  _ her _ . 

"Well, yeah." She says. "Always a chance, isn't there?"

She doesn’t look at Tedros. 

There's a short pause, broken by Eunha;

"Well, acceptance letters are sent out tonight. We'll find out tomorrow."

Rosalind decisively lays down her fork, no longer hungry. 

Whatever Agatha is going to say next is interrupted by a maid scampering in.

"My apologies, your highnesses-- an urgent letter for the Queen has just arrived."

Agatha frowns and takes the envelope.

"Urgent? Where's it from?"

"Woods Beyond, my lady."

"Right. Thank you."

The maid scampers off and Agatha slits open the letter, eyebrows raised.

"Who'd be writing from Woods Beyond?" Asks Ros. Tedros shrugs.

"Could be Jacob and Adam. Could be Mr Pipp. Could be Stefan, though he's getting on a bit, now… or even Honora, I suppose. I don't see what any of them would want with  _ us _ , though. Sophie or Nicola, sure. Us… Not so much."

Ros looks around to find Eunha gazing at her. She takes breath to say something--

There's the sound of breaking glass, and everyone whirls to find that Agatha's squeezed her wineglass so hard that it's shattered.

Immediately, Tedros is leaning over the table to pull the broken glass out of her grip.

"Agatha, give me your hand, you've cut your thumb--"

Agatha barely notices him, staring silently at the letter. Tedros obviously realises that something isn't right at the same time as his children do.

Ros and Marcus look apprehensively at each other. 

"Agatha?" Tedros prods. "What's it say?"

Agatha doesn't reply right away. 

Then, slowly;

"It's from Stefan. It says… it says that the Everwood Architectural Society are in Gavaldon. They're trying to make my mother's house into a museum."

" _ What _ ?" Splutters Tedros.

"It was meant to be a secret-- no one goes up there anymore, so no one would notice-- but one of them mentioned it in the pub last night. One of Nicola's brothers overheard, and told Stefan. He tried to argue with them, but they wouldn't have it. They're going…" she stops, and swallows. "Going to go through her stuff. Getting rid of most of it. Keeping mine, mind you, but..."

She trails off.

There's a shocked silence.

Ros knows that the Architectural Society-- and their parent branch, the overall Everwood Society-- have been making suggestions about turning Callis's house into a museum for Sophie and Agatha's tale for years. Agatha has refused every single time. Tourists went to gawk, of course they did, but Callis had put a number of potent wards on the house, and they hadn't died with her. The last person who'd tried to get in had been found in a tree a good mile away from the house. There's only one person who can let people in, and she refuses point blank to do it.

"How did they get in?" Asks Marcus. 

"Apparently they brought a cursebreaker with them. One from Netherwood, too."

Tedros is shaking his head.

"Don't they have any respect for the crown? For you? Or even for your mother? I didn't know her that well, and I know she wasn't your real mother, but she might as well--"

"Oh, shut up, Tedros." Says Agatha sharply, standing up very suddenly. Rosalind eyes her unfinished plate and knows she's even more upset than she seems.

Tedros looks rather hurt.

"But--"

Agatha snatches her hand out of his grip.

"Forget it. It's fine. I'm going to get something for my hand."

She flings the letter down onto the table, kicks her chair out of the way, and strides off. Everyone watches her go. 

"Way to go, old man." Says Ros.

"What did I  _ do _ ?" Splutters Tedros.

"Reminded her that Callis wasn't her real mother, when that was definitely  _ not _ what she wanted to hear?"

"Oh, but it's true--"

"I know it's true! It doesn't mean you have to say it!"

"I didn't think!" Says Tedros miserably.

Ros backtracks a little.

"I don't think she's actually that mad. Usually she wouldn't have been. It's just… You know. Circumstances."

Tedros has said far stupider things and only elicited a snort or no reaction at all. Ros predicts that her mother will have cooled off in about ten minutes.

At least in regards to Tedros.

Marcus has picked up the letter.

"They won't have been able to get through all of them." He says slowly. "The type of hex she's likely to have used… they just get more potent with time. It would take multiple curse-breakers  _ months _ to even make a dent."

He looks up. Blinks.

"I'm gonna go and tell her that."

"Okay, Mark." Says Ros. She knows this is his unusual, slightly stilted, attempt at trying to help. "You do that." 

Marcus does. Ros gazes absently at her plate. She has no love for the Everwood Society-- they’re all pompous, self-righteous idiots--but she has to admit, she’s surprised they’ve dared to go this far. Despite wording it terribly, Tedros has a point. 

Tedros looks over at the stunned Avalon Towers natives.

"Sorry." He says tiredly.

"Don't be ridiculous." Says Eunha firmly. "I shall write to the new head of the board. The Duchess of Nupur Lala, isn't it? She might not listen, but at least she knows we're not happy."

She hauls herself to her feet, accepts her tiger-headed cane from Jun, and follows Agatha. Chinhae's silent guard goes with her. 

"Stupid Everwood Society." Mutters Tedros, still stabbing furiously at his plate, but not actually eating anything. "Pain in the backside ever since Alex went to the School. Never used to meddle as much, you know that? The last six months or so..."

"Maybe it's  _ us _ they've got a problem with." Rosalind grins, glancing at Chinhae. It's mostly a joke, but Tedros looks dismissive.

"Nah. You two are exactly what they want out of heirs."

Seohun stands up, abruptly.

"Rosalind." He says. "Can I talk to you? For a second? Outside?"

Rosalind raises her eyebrows.

"Sure." 

Tedros looks hopelessly at Jun and Chinhae as the two of them leave. Ros hears him, as she closes the door;

"Shall we ring for cake? I could take some for Agatha."

* * *

As Eunha predicted, the letter comes the next morning, when Rosalind is sitting for a portrait.

Unfortunately, the person who  _ brings  _ the letter happens to be Gerald.

Ros doesn’t even try to conceal her groan as he comes bulling through the door, sliding on the polished floor.

"Ah- Princess!” he bows so low he nearly overbalances. Ros rolls her eyes. “Your father said you would be here."

_ Damn it, old man. _

"Oh." She says, trying to look as unwelcoming as possible. There’s a rather satisfying greenish bruise painting his forehead, adorned with a long line of stitches. "Hello, George."

"It's Gerald."

"Quite. Did you want something?" 

She knows his name, of course, but she’s been purposefully getting it wrong for weeks, now. She’s attempting to express her distaste, make it obvious she wants him gone.  _ Especially  _ after yesterday. But he doesn’t seem to take the hint.

"There was a letter for you. I volunteered to bring it.'

Rosalind raises an eyebrow as he hands it to her. Their fingers brush. His eyes widen. Rosalind wipes her hand on her skirt. 

The doddering old painter, Blackthorn, is staring. Ros shoots him a  _ help me  _ look, and, bless his wrinkly old soul, he does.

“Er, young man, if you wouldn’t mind stepping back a bit, so I can see the Princess properly…”

Reluctantly, Gerald does as he’s told, but stops to stare at Ros from several paces away, instead. 

"Who's it from?" He asks.

_ Probably wants to know if he has competition. _ Rosalind decides scornfully. 

"I don't know." She peers at it. Very elegant, the hand it's addressed in. 

She flips it over, and pauses. 

She knows the crest stamped onto the envelope, and engraved into the seal. 

Twin swans. 

"What's that emblem?" Gerald squints at her hands. "Is it a kingdom?"

Stupid  _ and _ a horrible person. A terrible combination, really.

Rosalind doesn't dignify him with a response, instead breaking the seal and pulling out the first sheet. She realises her hands are shaking, and drops the letter into her lap to cover it.

It’s a formulaic letter, formatted very simply. Must be the template they use for all the letters.

_ Dear  _ **_Rosalind_ ** _ ,  _

_ After receiving and reviewing your application, we are delighted to inform you that you have been approved by the School Master, and henceforth, have been selected to enrol as a student at: _

**_The School for Evil Edification and Propagation of Sin._ ** __

_ Enclosed is your: _

**_Student handbook,_ **

**_List of required items_ **

**_Stymph ride ticket_ **

**_A copy of the school rules._ **

_ We look forward to welcoming you on the first of September.  _

_ Regards, _

_ Dean Sophie, Witch of Woods Beyond. _

Then, below, in the slanting hand she sees so often on letters to her mother;

_ Rosalind; _

_ When I found your application in my post, I was sure that it was a mistake. Upon reading, it became very clear that it wasn’t. _

_ I will confess I was initially shocked. I know I don’t see you that often, but I felt that I should have noticed if my very own niece was showing signs of an Evil inclination. I was about to write to Aggie, when I realised that I  _ **_had_ ** _ noticed.  _

_ The last few times I’ve seen you, at various visiting weekends and school functions for Alex, I’d become more and more confused by your behaviour. I think it started at that garden party-- you could have only been about nine-- when you pushed Princess Emeline of Jaunt Jolie into the koi pond. Then I remembered that that first Visiting Weekend, and the Curses! Opening night; the way you terrorised those boys, spun half-truths to Teddy.  _

_ Still, I was unsure-- you are, after all, a member of an extremely famous Ever family, and Agatha, infamous for being… an unconventional Ever, shall we say? Is your mother, so I wondered if it was just her influence-- so I went to visit the School Master. She informed me that your soul is, without a shadow of a doubt, Evil. And your brother, somehow, is Good. (We have admitted him, as well.) I concede that I don't understand how on earth Aggie and Teddy could have had a child so Evil.  _

_ But I'm ever so pleased they have.  _

_ See you in September! Drug Teddy if he gets too upset.  _

_ Sophie xx _

_ P.S: I don’t usually make it my business to deal with brats and their feelings, but if you do want to discuss it, I suppose I’ll let you talk at me for a while. You are my favourite of Aggie’s children. Never lose your cheekbones, darling. _

Rosalind stares at it.

"What does it say?" Demands Gerald.

"Shut up." Says Rosalind impatiently. Her head is swimming. Evil. The School for Evil.

She'd applied, of course, scribbling out her answers long after everyone else had gone to bed, answering no questions and telling no lies about which school, if either, she'd applied to. 

But she'd actually gotten  _ in _ .

And not only that, Nicola had examined her soul. She'd checked, like she'd promised.

Rosalind had confronted her months before, after her suspicions had overtaken her. Her parent's friend was the one person who would be able to tell, would know for sure-- probably already knew. Rosalind had caught the glances she'd been shooting her over the weekend. So, she’d gone to find her.

* * *

"Nicola."

The older woman had turned to see Rosalind standing in the doorway of the sitting room, long after she'd supposedly retired.

"Hi, Ros."

She hadn’t sounded surprised to see her. 

"I'm a Never,” Ros had said, “Aren't I?"

It wasn't a question, though.

Nicola had stared at her, mouth tight. She drew breath to answer-

A noise in the corridor. They paused. Rosalind had slipped over, and peeked out of the door.

Empty, save Chicken, sat outside, tongue lolling.

"Stupid dog." Rosalind had muttered, trying to calm her jangling nerves.

Nicola frowned at her.

"You're-"

"I'm not upset." Rosalind had said quickly. "Not about that."

It was clear Nicola didn’t believe her.

"I'll check." Nicola had assured her, even though they both knew it wouldn't make the slightest difference.

"Thank you."

Rosalind had turned and left without another word.

That had been the end of it. Nicola had probably expected her to apply to Good, or to not apply at all. 

But Rosalind had had months to consider it.

And now, staring at her letter, she doesn't feel that crushing guilt, the squeezing nerves that had followed her for months, the intense feeling that she didn't belong with her family. That she was a fraud or a failure or a wrong part.

With her unwanted suitor standing over her, her portrait being painted, and her brother in Good, she doesn't feel like that at all.

Her eyes are drawn back to a certain sentence.

_ And your brother, somehow, is Good. (We have admitted him, as well.) _

Marcus was in Good, to follow Alex. 

Thank god.

Thank  _ god.  _

Now, finally, he wouldn't be scorned. He couldn't be. Her baby brother was safe from media ridicule for the first time in his life. Prickly, serious, knock-kneed Mark would be completely eclipsed by a scandal that would make him look like a martyr, not a loser who fell over at tournaments and knew too much about magical theory.

She looks up at Gerald, who'd laughed at him. She thought of her other suitors, who'd laughed at him. She thought of those  _ Royal Rot _ cartoons that mocked him and the shaky sort of way he always tried to fend off her suitors.

The letter crumples in her fist. Blackthorn applies the last stroke of paint to the canvas and sits back, turning it around.

"What do you think, Princess?"

"The  _ letter _ ?" Presses Gerald. 

Rosalind looks at the portrait.

She looks at it and smiles.

Portrait Rosalind smiles back, the sly twist to her mouth just how she likes it, dimpling just slightly wrong, her eyes just a tad too bright.

He'd clearly finished her face in the last few minutes.

"It's wonderful, sir." She tells the old painter. He smiles, relieved.

"Even Marcus looked better, and you painted his overbite." Scoffed Gerald. "She looks scary." 

Rosalind looks up at the suitor.

He's not worthy of her anger, she realises. Not her  _ real  _ anger.

But a bit of light terrorising never hurt.

"Oh, but Gideon, I  _ am _ scary." She says sweetly.

"…what?" Scoffs Gerald. "You're  _ beautiful _ ."

Rosalind holds out the crumpled letter.

"I just got into the School for Evil." She says. “And I fully intend to be Class Captain."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LMFAOOOOOOOO ONLY ONE PERSON GUESSED IT (shoutout to yasmin lmao. also to evie-- who I told bc I had to tell *someone*-- for not telling anyone else ahds)  
> if you've got this far THANK YOU SO MUCH for giving it a chance! I hope you like it so far, let me know what you think! how do you think I'm gonna be able to justify ros being a never? (and I actually have some. it's not just my usual "coz I wanted to" either tho that was partly the motivations sj)   
> did anyone catch the hints in the alex vs visiting weekend?? they were there shks


	3. in which seohun is neither morally nor fashionably decent

It had started just after her elder sister had left for Good. 

Like, half an hour after.

Ros and her family had returned to the castle and gone for an early, distinctly depressing dinner. Ros hadn’t paid much attention to it, too busy mourning the loss of her playmate. She loved Marcus, but he was useless at wrestling or climbing trees or making mud pies. He was the referee and the moderator, but what use was a referee if there was no opposition? It was no fun if Ros was afraid of hurting him. She could pummell Alex as much as she liked. Alex was the  _ big  _ sister, and she was indestructible.

Some of her sulkiness must have shown on her face, because one of the court ladies--some Duchess who Ros didn't know the name of, the one who always smelled of talcum powder and was probably at least a thousand years old--smiled sympathetically. “Missing your sister, dear?”

Ros had muttered something affirmative.

“Now, dear, you mustn’t sulk. Don’t you want to go to Good, too? You'd fit like a glove, there.” She’d pulled the leaflet they'd been given by the Flowerground conductor from her pocket and waved it at her. 

Ros had shrugged, poking at her food.

“Isn’t it a bit early to ask that?” Agatha had suggested, but the Duchess brushed her off.

“Never too early, my lady. Besides, she’s nearly thirteen. Next year, she’ll be in the lower age bracket. Come on, Princess. What’s gotten into you? Usually, you’re so sweet.”

She’d blinked at her. Ros had known what she was expecting. What she usually did when reprimanded; smile, apologise, and fix it. But having it pointed out…the smile had died before it reached her face.

Mercifully, Tedros had saved her before she said anything stupid. “Oh, I didn’t really want to go, either. Especially not at their age.”

Agatha had frowned. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, I was really hostile about it. It's normal to be slightly reluctant. It’s part of growing up." 

“Right,” Ros had echoed, getting the impression he was trying to help her. “It’s…a lot.”

The Duchess had looked somewhat mollified. “Well,” she’d said brightly. “At least have this!” she put the leaflet into Rosalind’s hand. “It’ll make you feel better to know that Alex is somewhere nice. And you can look forward to going, too!"

* * *

It hadn’t made her feel better.

Ros had gone upstairs, and read the leaflet once.

Then twice.

Then she’d fled for her parent’s room. 

“It looks  _ horrible,"  _ she’d cried, flinging herself into her mother’s lap. Tedros was nowhere to be seen, presumably either walking the dog or “training” (which tended to actually be “raiding the kitchens”).

Agatha hesitated, slowly marking her page and setting aside her book. 

“Well, it’s not-- um-- it’s not really--” she’d looked helplessly at the crumpled leaflet. “I suppose it is a bit… oppressive.”

“Why did she want to go?” demanded Ros. “Etiquette! Beautification! They’ll eat her alive!”

Agatha looked pained. "I… did think that,” she picked nervously at her cuticles. “I did say to Alex that she didn’t have to go, but she was adamant. You know what she’s like when she’s set on something. There’s always Weapons Training. And she’ll probably like Animal Communication.”

Ros screwed up her face. “ _ I  _ wouldn’t.”

“That’s because you don’t really like animals, love. Alex does.”

“I like Chicken.”

“Exception, not the rule, I think.”

“How did  _ you  _ survive?” asked Ros.

Agatha huffed. “I wasn’t  _ there  _ for a lot of it.”

Ros made a vague noise of assent, staring at the paintings of prim, pastel girls in taffeta skirts, who smiled gently at each other in the faintest, most subtly patronising of ways. 

Ros had looked down at the pale lavender of her skirts. At the little run of lace around the hem and sleeves. Felt the scrape of the hairpins in her hair. Thought about the little white gloves she'd left on her dresser. "Do you think  _ I'd _ fit in?" She'd said faintly.

For a moment, Agatha hadn't responded.

Then, slowly, she'd sat up and started pulling Rosalind's hairpins out for her. "You don't have to go, you know," she'd said. "Your father and I won't be disappointed if you don't. You don’t even have to apply.”

"You're not answering the question," muttered Ros.

Agatha sighed, slowly letting Rosalind’s hair down for her. “I suspect, if you asked anyone outside of the family, they’d say yes. But I would say…” she paused, thoughtful. “I think I’d say no, actually. Not that you’ve no capacity for Good, but I think you’d loathe the School. I did, mostly.”

Ros waited for her to explain. Agatha sat back, picking a loose thread out of her ripped stockings. “Just because you have a very nice, well-behaved public persona, doesn’t mean you’d do well in Good. Everyone thinks you’re perfect, don’t they? But  _ I _ saw you mop up your spilled drink with Sophie’s fur coat.”

Ros, who had thought she’d gotten away with that, spluttered a startled laugh. She could see her mother smirking in the mirror opposite her. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she demanded.

“Because,” Agatha had said. “I’m perfectly happy to encourage  _ some _ flaws. Especially if it’s for my personal amusement.”

Ros grinned at her hands, aware she was only half-joking. “That’s bad parenting.”

“No, it’s not,” sniffed Agatha. “Once the court realised Alex was a lost cause-- as far as they were concerned-- they pounced on you, instead. They think they managed to turn you into Perfect Princess Camelot. I like to see evidence that, really, you're every bit as bad as  _ me _ .”

She pounced and grabbed her sides. Ros shrieked and smacked her. “Stop! You  _ know  _ I’m ticklish! And you’re 100% Good, how can I be as bad as  _ you?” _

“Oh, that stupid thing,” grinned Agatha. “I don’t know. All I know is  _ I _ taught you to catch tadpoles and how best to wind up your poor father. Who cares about a number?”

“Marcus says the percentage is just how inclined you are to do the Good or Evil thing. Whether or not you actually act on it is down to the person.”

“Your brother, as usual, is probably right.”

Ros nodded slowly, staring up at the ceiling. “So… do you think I act differently to how I actually am? Around strangers?”

“Yeah. And I think you’re getting fed up with it. So, in terms of the School: no. You’d hate it.”

Ros imagined having to maintain it for four years with a bunch of insufferable do-gooders. “I think,” she said slowly, “you might be right.” Then she’d sat up, and squinted at her moher. “Are you  _ sure  _ you’re Good?”

“Fairly,” said Agatha. “I’m just incredibly uncouth. There’s lots of different ways to be Good, you know.” She’d looked thoughtfully at her. “And lots of different ways to be Evil.”

Ros opened her mouth--

“What’s this, philosophy club?” 

Tedros was back, trailing pool water and an ill-concealed bad mood. Stress swimming hadn’t worked, clearly.

It occurred to Ros that she wasn’t the only one who’d just lost a sparring partner. 

“Something like that,” Agatha said. 

Tedros caught sight of the leaflet in Rosalind’s hand. “Oh. You don’t want to go _ too _ , do you?”

Ros figured he’d meant to make it sound sarcastic, but it had actually come out more despairing.

_ Alex better write soon, _ she’d thought tiredly. But, very deliberately, she’d balled it up and thrown the leaflet into the embers still glowing in the fireplace.

Tedros had brightened instantly.

“Clingy old man,” muttered Agatha, just quiet enough for Tedros not to hear. It was fonder than Ros had expected, though.

“Oh, you don’t?” Tedros said hopefully.

“It doesn’t look particularly appealing at the moment,” said Ros, watching one of the Evergirl’s faces swell, distort, and explode in the embers. 

“That’s okay! It’s not even that good, to be honest. And there’s no obligation, since you’re not the heir.” He’d looked more cheerful as he trotted across to join them on the bed, presumably at the prospect he wasn’t going to lose  _ both _ of his daughters to the gaping maw of pink glass turrets and Pollux’s Etiquette lessons. 

“What about Mark?” he’d asked.

Ros and Agatha shrugged in unison. “Don’t think he cares to think about it yet,” Ros had said.

“Well,” Tedros fell back onto his wife’s legs, leaving a big wet patch on the sheet, “that’s alright then.”

He’d always been a little bit selfish.

Ros had stared thoughtfully at the smouldering remains of the Good leaflet, turning over everything in her mind. A scrap of paper featuring one of the girl’s dresses remained, stained grey and black by the fire. Then she looked down at her pastel skirts again.

One step at a time.

“Old man?” she’d said, finally.

“Hmm?”

“Can we go shopping tomorrow?”

* * *

From then on, she'd started to dismantle the persona. 

She’d gone out with Tedros the next day, and had begun the slow, subtle task of assembling a completely new wardrobe. Tedros had always been slightly inclined to the  _ spoiling the kids  _ side of parenting (balanced out by Agatha, who stole food, rings, books, and victory in most card games from her children with reckless abandon). So he had cheerfully replaced lilac satin with plum velvet, pink brocade with scarlet cashmere, and sky blue chiffon with forest-green silk. A-line dresses were replaced with precisely tailored suits and tiny diadems with wide-brimmed hats. 

Tedros had simply assumed she was changing her style, which was perfectly valid to him. 

The court had muttered something about a rebellious phase.

There had been other, subtler changes. She’d stopped smiling at the noble’s sons who’d come to gawk. She’d stopped suppressing eye-rolls and had started exchanging significant glances with Marcus whenever someone said something stupid. She’d swapped embroidery and piano for going with her parents to diplomatic summits and formulating her own opinions on the leaders of the Endless Woods.

Most of them were morons. 

Still, no one really seemed to see much amiss. Most people assumed she was simply growing up.

Most people.

But Min Seohun was not  _ most people.  _

So, when he’d confronted her outside of the dinner hall the previous night, Ros had quickly become tired of evading him.

* * *

“Not staying for cake?” Ros had asked idly, the second he’d closed the door.

“Dairy makes me break out,” said Seohun smoothly, eyeing his perfect face in the mirror opposite them. Ros can tell it’s mostly an act. It’s too dim to fix any makeup, and he’s looking at her in it.

“So,” she says. “Chinhae off to Good.”

“Chinhae  _ maybe  _ off to Good,” corrected Seohun.

“Oh, Seohun, everyone and their grandmother knows he’s going.” 

Seohun fixed a tiny strand of hair back in place. “The newspaper odds certainly suggest so.” He didn’t look away from the mirror. “And will Camelot’s famous twins be going with him?” 

“The newspaper odds certainly suggest so,” parroted Ros.

“That they do,” Seohun said calmly. “But do the newspapers know that you like to incapacitate suitors and bad-mouth other royals?”

“If they bothered to look, they might.” 

Seohun paused for a minute. Then, finally, he turned around. “You didn’t apply to Good, Rosalind.”

“Maybe I didn’t apply at all,” said Ros.

“I don’t think I believe that.”

Ros looked at him. “Why not?”

“I know a Never when I see one, dear. Just because you were wearing pink petticoats when I first met you doesn’t mean I couldn’t tell.”

Ros didn’t reply right away.

Then:

“Well, congratulations. You’re the first to know.”

“Am I?” Seohun looked doubtfully to the door.

“I didn’t tell my family how I applied,” Ros said.

“You mean to tell me that your little nerdy brother, who knows you better than anyone, hasn’t inferred that you’re a Never?” Seohun snorted. “Just because he doesn’t  _ say _ it doesn’t mean he doesn’t know it. Were you afraid of frightening him?”

Ros frowned at him. “Marcus doesn’t scare as easily as everyone thinks.”

“No?” Seohun raised an eyebrow. “Well, perhaps that’s for the best.  _ He’s  _ going to go to Good, isn’t he?”

“The  _ Evers  _ aren’t going to try and terrorise him,” scoffed Ros. 

Seohun sneered. “Don’t be dense, Rosalind, you’re too good looking for that. And, frankly, you can’t afford to be. You know how they treated your mother. It's not going to be as easy as you think.”

Ros pursed her lips. "I'm not expecting it to be easy," she argued, almost surprising herself with her honesty. 

Seohun shook his head. "However hard you think it's going to be, triple your expectations. Evil is cutthroat and Good is  _ worse _ ."

"I can work with cutthroat," Ros said.

"I'm sure. But remember you're also an obvious target for it. Nevers will want to test the waters on someone. Famous, beautiful, Princess Rosalind. Pretty Rose. They're waiting to slaughter you."

Rosalind’s mouth tightened a little. Hearing Seohun voice every concern she’d had over the past few months made her jittery. It meant they were legitimate. 

"Well,” she said, “They'll find it harder than they're expecting."

Seohun leaned on the banister, considering her silently. He knew exactly what she was about to face. The thought to ask him about it hadn't even occurred to her until now. 

"Were you like me?" She asked bluntly. "When you went to the School."

"In terms of status and notoriety?" Seohun shook his head. "No. I was an orphan and a nobody. But in other ways? In ambition, wit, and determination to be somebody  _ different _ to whom others thought I was?" 

Ros recoiled from the precision of his analysis. Seohun smiled wolfishly. "In  _ that _ way, I was exactly the same."

There was a second’s pause. 

“Tell me what to do,” Ros commanded.

Seohun shrugged. Despite how easily he’d bantered with her, he looked a little weary. "Prove you're good and do it fast. Sophie will try to give you special treatment; don't take much, but you'd be a fool to take none. Use your influence and power to your advantage."

Oddly specific. Ros looked closely at him. “Tell me about  _ your  _ time there.”

That was all it took to make Seohun's infamous vanity kick in, and he grinned smugly. "I was a legend by the second term of first year. First in the ranks, hotter than all the Evergirls, dare I say.” He ignored Rosalind’s eye-roll and carried on; “I broke the hearts of the top Everboy, and three Evergirls. I seduced two idiot Nevers, then betrayed them in the Trial. I came out of those gates knowing I was worth something, and I let my classmates do the myth making for me. When I arrived at Avalon Towers, fresh out of Evil, Eunha already knew who I was."

“So you  _ did  _ ditch your quest.” Ros said. 

“Military uniform is ever so garish,” Seohun dismissed. 

"What  _ was _ your quest?" 

"Can't remember. It was frightfully boring. Something about leading a coup."

" _ What _ ? Why would you turn  _ that _ down?"

Seohun shot her an almost pitying look. "Some of us don't care about glory and eternal remembrance, Rosalind.  _ My _ Evil stems from simple selfishness. I do what I want. And what I  _ want _ to do is make clothes."

Ros stared at him, fascinated. "Why do you serve an Ever kingdom?" 

“Why do  _ you?” _

“Funnily enough, Seohun, this is where I live. Never or not, it’s my birthright.”

“Mm,” Seohun considered her. “Remember that, won’t you?”

Rosalind frowned. “I was intending to.”

“Good.” He didn’t elaborate. 

Ros grilled him further. "But why do you spend your life with a teenager who'll end up as the most powerful Good force in the entire Woods? Doesn’t seem selfish to me.”

"Oh,” Seohun wandered over to look over the edge of the balcony. “It’s plenty selfish.”

Ros followed him, and found that they were both looking down at Chinhae, slowly crossing the foyer with his mother, matching his pace to Eunha's as she thudded stubbornly along with her cane. He must have left through the other door, after Ros had gone. As they watched, the Empress put her hand on the back of her son's head and smoothed out his hair. Chinhae tightened his shoulders and she sighed at him. Just like Ros, she must know that the flattened line of Chinhae's mouth signified anxiety.

"He'll struggle," Seohun said. Ros looked at him, surprised. She'd been worrying about her brother struggling, not her perfect, princely, friend. 

"Will he?" 

"Of course," Seohun said. "He's shy, and he hates to use his power. And that's not really what he's supposed to be. The only real differences between him and Marcus are external, you know."

Rosalind had always thought Chinhae and Marcus were more similar than they were different, and hearing it repeated from another only solidified this suspicion. She hadn’t thought about him having trouble in Good, though. His facade was almost as good as hers used to be.

“Why do you care about him so much?” she said finally.

“Why do  _ you?” _

Ros frowned, watching them disappear through a passageway. The truth was, she’d always felt as if... 

“I always felt he was a little lacking in friends,” she said finally.

“And Camelot’s Never Princess offered herself up, did she?”

Ros side-eyed him. "Everyone needs friends," she said. “Even Never Princesses. I might dislike my mother’s fairy tale, but I learnt from it.”

Seohun didn't look quite convinced, but he nodded. “I think, dear,” he said, “you might have answered that question for both of us.”

Ros blinked, keeping her face blank while the wheels turned.  _ That  _ was his purpose? To be a friend to Chinhae? 

"Keep an eye on him for me, Ros," Seohun said suddenly, turning away from the balcony. "He'll lie in letters."

“Assuming we’re both going,” Ros said half-heartedly. But with that, she’d understood.

Seohun was an unmarried orphan. He didn’t have any family to call his own--except, by some bizzare serendipity, the royal family of Avalon Towers. He might only be their stylist, but Ros suspected Seohun saw Eunha as his mother just as much as Chinhae did. And while he didn’t share blood or rank or even a moral inclination with the Prince, they might as well be brothers.

So, yes, it was selfish. 

Seohun had gone and gotten himself what he wanted.

"I will," said Ros, and she meant it.

It was worth remembering that even the best Evil had the capacity to care.

* * *

Now--lunchtime of the following day--she could see Seohun watching her from the back of the sitting room. He wasn’t the only one; six other pairs of eyes were burning into her. 

She had left Gerald gawking in the portrait room and came straight up to the parlour. Chinhae and Marcus were already there, thank god, both clutching white and gold letters. She’d smiled and congratulated them with everyone else. Jun had been enthusiastic about his correct prediction, even though basically everyone had known it was going to happen. Ros had seen a prickle of uncertainty in his eyes, though. It seemed Seohun wasn't the only one who knew Chinhae would struggle.

Now, it’s Rosalind’s turn. 

She saw her mother out of the corner of her eye, perched on her father’s knee to allow Eunha to have her usual chair. Ros didn’t want to look at them. Instead, she looked at Marcus.

“I…” she pinched the letter in her pocket, ripping the corner a little. Marcus gazed back at her. He didn’t look confused, or worried. “I got a--a letter, and--”

She realises what his expression is.    


He looks anticipatory.

Rosalind knew, then, that Seohun was right. Marcus isn’t so foolish as to not notice what’s right in front of him. He’d already guessed.

And he doesn’t look unhappy.

He’s sitting in his darned socks and his horrible old green jumper that’s unravelling at the wrist, and he smiles at her. 

Because, Ever or Never, they’re still going together. 

Before she can lose her nerve, Ros digs in her pocket and pulls out the letter. “I’m going to Evil,” she blurts.

Marcus smiles. Not even close-lipped, like he usually does in public, to conceal his overbite. He smiles with teeth, like he only does in private. When Tedros finally understands something Marcus is trying to explain, or when they get pasta for dinner, or when he makes a connection in his research he’s been trying to make for weeks.

How he smiles when he’s really, really pleased.

Then, Ros became aware of the silence. Dead silence, in fact. 

Jun dropped his teaspoon.

“You applied to Evil?” gasped Eunha.

Seohun tried to conceal his grin in his cup of tea. 

“Yes,” Ros said hoarsely. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes, I did.”

Eunha raised her eyebrows. “Actually,” she said, slowly, “I can see it.”

Ros risked a glance at Chinhae. He’s nodding sagely, gazing at the letter in her hand.

“That stunt with Gerald yesterday…I did wonder.”

“Yeah,” mumbled Ros, trying to smile. 

“We’re all going,” murmured Chinhae. Then he looked up, suddenly enthusiastic. “We’re  _ all  _ going! It’ll be so much better if we’re all there!”

“Yeah, we--”

“I guessed!” burst out Seohun , unable to withhold his bragging for a second longer. “I  _ knew  _ she’d applied to Evil, I got it out of her last night--” 

Chinhae and Jun turned to him, incredulous. Eunha rolled her eyes--

Someone took the letter out of Rosalind’s hand.

“I suppose Sophie had something to say,” said Agatha. She sounded oddly calm.

Very slowly, Rosalind turned to face her. 

Her mother didn’t look at all worried. She scanned the letter briefly, snorted, and looked up at her daughter. “She’s going to try and train you up to be like her.”

Ros sneered. “I don’t want to be like her,” she said. She can’t look at her father. He’s not looking at her, either.

“Good,” said Agatha. “You can be better.”

Ros looked curiously at her. She sounds almost as if she’s--

“Your grandmother would have been proud,” Agatha said softly, then stood up abruptly to refill the teapot.

Yes, then. That had been pride she’d detected. 

Ros squeezed her waist as Agatha passed her. “Perhaps I’ll specialise in Uglification.”

Agatha snorts, but Ros sees her smile.

“You would never.”

“I might.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it. Tedros, spit it out.”

Tedros jerked. “What?”

“You’re on the edge of saying something. Say it.”

Ros, slowly, turned her gaze to her father. 

This is the reaction she’d been most afraid of. Agatha was raised by a witch, for God’s sake. She had a pure Evil sister and plenty of Never friends. Eunha and Jun appointed Seohun, and he’s the closest thing Chinhae has to a brother. And she never ought to have worried about Marcus’s reaction.

But her father...

Tedros had never completely gotten along with Sophie. Or Hester. Or Anadil. Or Hort. Tedros was the King of the most powerful Ever kingdom in the Woods, and he’d struggled for years to prove himself worthy of it.

Rosalind being a Never could undermine everything.

She looked anxiously at him, expecting confusion, or worry, or hurt, or even anger--

What she was  _ not _ expecting to see was the unmistakable hunch of someone very guilty of something. 

“Don’t tell me the shock’s going to kill you,” groaned Agatha. It was joking, but Ros could hear the tense edge to it. 

“Not shocked,” muttered Tedros, twisting his wedding ring frantically. 

Agatha raised her eyebrows.

“Really? Because I think everyone is, a little bit. So unless you knew--”

Tedros winced. Agatha stared blankly at him.

“You  _ knew _ ?” Ros nearly shrieked. 

Tedros didn’t reply, but it was obvious from his face that the answer was  _ yes _ .

“How?” demanded Ros. ”When? What did you do?”

Suddenly, the way he’d been looking at her during dinner last night made sense. She’d thought he was suspicious, but he downright  _ knew-- _

“I--” Tedros couldn’t look at her. “I might have-- last summer, I might have--”

Last summer.

Nicola’s visit.

Ros stormed up to him. “You  _ spied _ on me! When I went to see Nicola!”

Tedros cracked immediately. “Oh--Ros, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to! Listen, I--I heard you leave your room and I thought maybe you were upset or ill or something, so I followed you, then I realised you were going to see Nicola and I started to backtrack, I did, but then I heard what you said to her and I--”

“ _ You  _ were what I heard in the corridor!”

“Yeah, I--”

“What did you bring the  _ dog  _ for?” Ros fumed.   


Tedros went red. “I didn’t bring the dog.”

Ros stared. “But there was--” she remembered seeing a dog, alone, in the corridor. One of the most basic spells taught at the school. 

_ “You mogrified into Chicken?”  _

“Yes!” Tedros admitted. “I knew you’d be upset if you found out I’d followed you, and I thought maybe it was too much for you to have just heard all that, and  _ also  _ have to deal with the fact I’m a hand-wringing old git, so I did the obvious thing and--” 

Ros burst into cackles.

“Oh,” said Tedros. “You’re not mad.”

Ros crouched on the rug, slightly hysterical. She could see Marcus grinning, and wondered if he’d inferred  _ that _ , too. Probably not, but you never know. 

“ _ I’m _ not mad?” she wheezed.

Tedros blinked. “What? Did you think  _ I _ was going to be?”

Ros opened her mouth to say  _ yes,  _ anticipated his answer (“ _ why?”) _ and decided it wasn’t worth it. “No,” she coughed. “Not really.” She did have to wonder, though. Perhaps he’d simply had long enough to think about it. 

“Oh. Well, that’s okay then--” His face dropped suddenly.

“What?” Ros demanded.

Tedros looked hopefully at Eunha, Agatha and Jun. “Would…anyone  _ else  _ like to head the press conference tomorrow, where we announce this to the whole of the Woods?”

No reply. Marcus, Ros, and Chinhae turned to look at each other, no longer laughing.

“That,” said Tedros grimly, “is what I thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> seohun for president  
> I don't always like doing "haha look how stupid Tedros is" (see: GMTG, eventually burn) but to me his brand of parenting is "mild incompetence but extreme enthusiasm and anxiety" so I felt it was accurate that he'd do something stupid tbh. so, off they go! well, not quite yet, but nearly. we shall see how ros fares across the bay...


	4. in which Ros feels like Anakin betraying the Jedi except she has the high ground

"Where's your sister?"

Marcus turned to find Gerald and three court boys bearing down on him. He didn't know why they were bothering. He'd never sent them to Ros before, and it wasn't likely that he was going to tell them where she was now. Unless they were operating under the assumption that he'd turned against Rosalind, given the revelation she was a Never. 

Idiots.

"Don't know," he said coolly. "Why?"

"The press conference starts in fifteen minutes," Gerald said impatiently. "You must have some idea."

"Well then, even if I did, she wouldn’t have time to talk to you." He did know where Ros was, obviously. She was in the parlour behind him. Not that he was going to tell them that.

He looked between the four chiselled faces, all scowling at him, and suppressed a sigh. Was this going to be his experience at Good, too? At least there none of them would be pursuing his Evil sister. Probably. But it was more likely that they'd just have to come up with more creative reasons to bully him.

"Gerald told us before it was announced. We think there's been a mistake," one of the court boys spoke up.

"The School Master doesn't make mistakes," Marcus dismissed.

"Doesn't she?" Gerald shot him a disdainful glance. 

Marcus nearly snorted. He'd have to try harder than that if he wanted to upset him. Implying he wasn't Everboy material. He'd never heard _that_ one before. 

"I don't think so."

Gerald stared suspiciously at the door. "She's in there. She was with you, wasn't she?"

"Can you leave?" Said Marcus, trying to sound bored. "I'm rather busy at the moment." He had been pitching an extremely unsuccessful campaign against Rosalind's suitors for a very long time. Generally, he was ignored, and Rosalind, Tedros, or someone who was generally less pathetic than Marcus sent them packing. It was frustrating. He'd have much preferred to have been able to do it himself, seeing as they were such a plague on Ros--

" _Tell us_ ," hissed Gerald.

Having said that, Marcus was certainly regretting the absence of Alex right now. Having someone around who was magically trained, over six foot, and carried around a spear at all times tended to make suitors steer clear of Rosalind. But he wasn't Alex; he was Marcus, and he could tell they were getting impatient. 

He wasn't fool enough to think he could physically stop them, even if he wanted to. And there were no guards nearby, so…

So, unfortunately, the only way was to let Rosalind know, somehow.

"Excuse me," He approached them as if he was going to shove past them--

Gerald grabbed him and shoved him back against the door, which rattled against the frame. "Tell me!"

The three court boys cringed. Even _they_ knew that physically attacking Marcus was a no-go. He might have been a loser, but he was still the Prince.

"Er, Gerald--" began one, but Gerald ignored him.

"I have the right to talk to her! I'm convinced she's been corrupted!"

Marcus would have laughed, had his windpipe not been in considerable distress from the way Gerald was gripping his collar. He struggled as Gerald lifted him up--

Tedros opened the door.

Gerald dropped Marcus and ran. The three court boys followed him, too visibly complicit to get away with excuses. 

Marcus sat up swearing-- he'd headbutted the doorframe when Gerald had dropped him-- and peered blearily up at his father, thinking it was rather out of character for Tedros to not have immediately gone after them. He must have hit his head harder than he'd thought, because he looked odd. A little shiny, slightly wrong--

"Gits," said Tedros, in Rosalind's voice, and Marcus understood.

"Clever," he coughed, wiping his streaming eyes.

"I try," said Rosalind, shifting back into her real appearance. She looked down at him. "Are you alright?"

"I think so,” Marcus probed his temple carefully. "Though I imagine I'll have a nice lump on my head." He accepted her hand and listened to their footsteps fading. 

"Sorry," said Rosalind tightly. "I thought he'd stay away once he knew."

"Apparently he needs more convincing."

Rosalind's eyes narrowed slightly. "Apparently he does." 

Marcus didn't ask what Rosalind's definition of _convincing_ was. Probably _bullying_ or _mildly maiming._ "Well," he said, flattening his hair over the reddening patch and readjusting his glasses. "We ought to go down."

Rosalind's mouth tightened. "Aren't you going to tell the old man?"

"I don't think he can cope with any more stress right now," said Marcus, starting down the corridor. "Maybe later, after the conference."

"Mark--"

"It's not a big deal. We'll be leaving them behind in a few weeks."

Rosalind didn't argue, though it was clear she wanted to."Well," she said, speeding up to walk with him. "Thanks for trying, Mark." She squeezed his arm and went ahead. 

Marcus watched her go. "Yeah," he mumbled. "You're welcome."

* * *

It was tradition to do the boys first, so no one was particularly suspicious when Rosalind wasn't included in Marcus and Chinhae's announcement. Typically, Chinhae’s enrollment would have been announced back in his own kingdom. However, seeing as they’d be visiting when the letters would arrive, the two families had agreed that should one or more of the children get in, they would hold a joint announcement. It was being billed as an expression of goodwill between the kingdoms, but in reality it was more a way to spare Eunha, constantly in poor health, from the long trip back. 

It had gone remarkably smoothly so far. Tedros was clearly anxious--far as Ros could tell, at least--but Eunha was on good form, which covered for it somewhat. But once the smattering of applause had died down, and the few questions had been answered, Eunha backed away, and Tedros was on his own. Rosalind exchanged an apprehensive glance with Seohun, who was lurking in the wings like a sparkly assassin. 

Tedros cleared his throat. "Er, so, now, we move onto my daughter, Princess Rosalind. Um…" He shot an uncertain glance at Ros. 

Ros looked back at him, expectant. _Go on._

Still, no one looked suspicious. Tedros wasn't exactly a _bad_ speaker, but his teenage reputation of rambling and getting flustered had followed him into adulthood, and as such, most people didn't expect much of him when public speaking was concerned. Ros thought it was an advantage. Tedros hated it.

"Um. Our daughter, Princess Rosalind… er…" 

For god's sake, he was stalling. Ros had to admit that shoving him off the podium was very tempting, right now.

" _Just say it, Tedros,"_ hissed Agatha's voice in a badly concealed whisper from somewhere behind Ros and Marcus. Tedros shot another worried glance at Ros.

Ros smiled. 

Tedros, who knew Ros didn't _genuinely_ smile with her mouth shut, mercifully got the message.

_Just say it._

Tedros turned back to the eye-rolling, yawning reporters and nobles.

"Rosalind has been accepted to the School for Evil Edification and Propagation of Sin."

The crowd snapped to attention.

For a long time, the hall was silent.

Imelda Jakes, from the Camelot Courier, was the first to stand, bewildered. "Camelot Courier, your majesty...'m sorry, but could you repeat that?" 

Tedros's eyes narrowed slightly. Ros didn't know how he hadn't anticipated this. "The Princess has been accepted to the School for Evil." 

Another shot up, this one a few rows back. "Hamelin Herald, your majesty. My apologies, but did you mean to say--"

"Yes, Evil, the School for Evil," Tedros cut him off. "I'm not going senile yet."

No one laughed. A reporter dressed in pastels piped up. "Jaunt Jolie Journal, your majesty--I have to ask, did the Princess apply? Because if not--"

"I applied," Rosalind said calmly.

"She applied," snapped Tedros, _not_ calmly.

"Persians is up," whispered Marcus.

Tedros slowly looked down.

Edward Persians smiled vapidly, the top of his stupid purple hat at Tedros's foot level. Rosalind doesn't know why he doesn't just boot it. She would.

"Royal Rot, sire. I have to ask, my apologies…are you _sure_ she's _your_ daughter?"

Tedros went scarlet.

Agatha snorted, doubled over, and started laughing. It was pretty much the only sound in the throne room.

"I believe," said Tedros tightly, gripping the lecturn so hard that tiny white starbursts appeared on his knuckles, "that you said earlier something to the effect of ‘ _it seems Marcus is my son, after all.’_ In your… _clearly_ _superior_ knowledge of biology, could you, please, explain to me how one twin could be mine and the other couldn't?"

Persians opened his mouth, presumably to suggest something scandalous and put all the attention on himself--

Rosalind stood and produced the acceptance letter from her pocket. The black paper with the swan crest was unmistakable.

For a moment, the throne room was breathless.

Then everyone started shouting at once. 

Tedros cringed as the reporters leapt to their feet in a hollering, shocked wave of notebooks and pens. The nobles in the viewing gallery were shouting to one another--and down at Tedros--shocked. Someone had fainted, and was being fanned furiously by several others. Rosalind hoped it was Lady Wortley, the old hag. Several Never reporters at the back were cheering, in stark contrast next to an inconsolable woman who appeared to have bet on Ros being in Good. Rosalind tried not to grin, then realised Tedros was frozen in place, staring helplessly at the reporters stood below him, speculating furiously (and loudly)--

"No, Persians, it's got to be _his_ fault, Queen Agatha is 100% Good--" 

"Not raised properly--"

"Won't be surprised if the King turns up dead in a couple of days, she's never liked him--" 

"Never would have happened if we still had _Rhian_."

Rosalind's mirth died, and she made for the podium.

Tedros took a deep breath--

_"If I may_ ," Rosalind's voice snapped across the room, and everyone looked up to see her standing at the lectern in her father's place. The Never reporters at the back were doing some sort of silent, victorious can-can. " _I_ will answer any questions you have, seeing as it concerns _me_. Who's first?"

Lo and behold--suddenly, everyone seemed reluctant. 

Agatha hurried across the stage and led Tedros back to where she and Marcus were sitting. Seohun was smirking. Eunha was whispering furiously to Jun. Chinhae looked worried.

A hand rose from the cluster of men at the front.

"Go on," Ros urged, anticipating something horrible.

"Frederik Belch from the Jaunt Jolie Journal, highness…" he looked genuinely disparaging of her, which was…new. "I have to know, Princess, I understand that you won't tell us, but I think your response will be rather telling anyhow…" He leaned forward. "Are high-profile regicides on the agenda for Camelot's newest Never Princess?"

Later, Ros would realise she'd never been so angry in all her life. But it didn't register at that moment.

Slowly, she leaned forward to match his condescending stance. "Frederik, I'm _appalled_ that you would suggest such a thing,” She paused. Slowly let a languid smile slide onto her face. "How _dare_ you insinuate that if I were to kill my father, I'd be sloppy enough to get _caught_?"

* * *

"Sorry, old man," Rosalind sighed the second they were offstage. "I'm not really planning to murder you." 

Tedros rubbed his face. For a second, Rosalind thought he was angry, but then he turned to smile at her. "Of course you're not. Who'd buy you clothes if I was dead?" 

"Good point." A couple of passing servants stared at them. Ros grimaced.

"Well, it'll keep the tabloids happy," said Agatha. "Every time you look mildly unhappy in your father's presence they'll be analysing where you could have concealed weapons or how you could have poisoned him."

Ros stared at her, concerned. 

"I wouldn't worry," Tedros said, spotting her expression. "They've been saying your mother's going to do it for years, and she never even admitted any murderous intent."

"But--"

"Did you see Persians' face?" Interjected Jun. "Looked like he'd been slapped. Biggest scoop of his life, and he didn't know what to do with it."

Tedros snorted. "And when Sophie joked about offing me, he was positively bored. This must be big."

Marcus trotted up beside Rosalind, towing Chinhae. "Ros, we're going to the library before lunch. Do you want to come?"

Ros detected something in his tone that suggested an actual reason he wanted her to come, not just _this is what, I, a nerd, think is fun._ She glanced at Tedros. "Yeah, alright," she said.

* * *

"Ros, I found it!" Marcus trotted up to her, some huge, ancient volume of magical theory clutched in his skinny arms. 

Rosalind frowned. "What is it?"

"I think I've worked you out."

Rosalind exchanged a glance with Chinhae, sat quietly in an alcove to her left. "Well, yeah. If anyone knows me, baby brother, it's you." 

Marcus sighed. "No, I mean your magic. And why you're a Never. And why I'm not." 

Rosalind looked at Marcus and raised an eyebrow. 

Marcus took his cue, and sat down next to her. Chinhae followed him, and Ros scooted over to make room for the three of them.

"Do _you_ know what this is?" She asked Chinhae. 

Chinhae shook his head. "I think he's been waiting to show it to you." 

Ros looked at Marcus. Marcus was furiously flipping through pages, clearly not listening.

"Let's see…right, here." He turned the book around and pointed a finger to a passage. 

Rosalind leaned forward and read it out loud; _"’Though never actually proven, a superstition common in kingdoms around the Savage Sea is that an Ever born from a loveless union can only go on to produce Never children. Concerns about this in relation to King Tedros of Camelot were raised after the birth of Princess Alexandra, but were quashed after her acceptance to the School for Good’…_ well. They've got their proof now, haven't they?" 

"But we're not _all_ Nevers, so it can't be completely accurate," pointed out Marcus. "It was just something I thought you'd find interesting. There's also an ancient manuscript from one of Camelot's first Kings that I found the other week. His sister was 100% Good, and she ended up with a son who was Evil. He was horrified about it, but that's besides the point--"

Rosalind tried very hard not to roll her eyes. Marcus had never been very good at working out what would make people feel better and what _really_ wouldn't. 

Marcus continued; "There's some speculation about how the balance can be really easily corrupted, so you could be extremely Good _or_ extremely Evil if one of your parents is 100%, and the other isn't."

"Both of these hypotheses say it's the old man's fault," mused Rosalind.

"Well, it probably is," admitted Marcus, back to leafing through pages. "Not very good at the rules, is he?"

Chinhae frowned. "How come you aren't 100% Good and 100% Evil, like every other famous set of Good and Evil twins?" 

"Could have something to do with the fact we're fraternal, and of opposite genders--we didn't split from a single egg, so we don't have identical genetic makeup," Marcus said. "Also, I think it would be impossible for me to be raised with Ros and not at least have at least a tiny bit of an inclination towards wickedness." 

"Are you accusing me of _corrupting_ you?" Demanded Ros.

"Yes," Marcus said flatly. 

Rosalind hit him with her gloves. Chinhae laughed. "Exhibit A," said Marcus. Rosalind hit him harder. "Ow, alright. Don't you want to know my theory about your talent?" 

Ros scoffed. "What is there to speculate about? I'm a Never, Nevers have magical talents."

"Illusions are _incredibly_ rare," Marcus insisted. "The last person recorded could create auditory illusions, but people have been trying to pin down visual illusions for _years_."

"The point of a talent is that it's unique," said Rosalind shortly.

"Usually they're not ridiculously powerful, though," Marcus considered her. "You know, _I_ think that's what Alex did. With the boar."

Chinhae looked confused.

"Her first trial, she accidentally turned his boar that was trying to attack them into a human," Ros clarified. "Then he disappeared."

"...Right."

Ros turned back to Marcus. "But Alex is not magically gifted. At all." 

Marcus shrugged. "Maybe not, but it explains why they couldn't find it afterwards, and why it was so shocked. Anyway, I know siblings share bits of talents and proficiencies, so it makes sense that maybe in a moment of panic, Alex could harness it. Not like you. But a little bit."

Rosalind considered this. It did seem plausible. Panic-harnessing magic she shouldn't really have was very Alex-like.

"Well, what about you?" Chinhae asked.

Marcus blinked. "Me?"

"If Alex can do it a little bit, can you do it as well?"

Good point. Rosalind hadn't thought of that.

"No." Marcus said firmly, staring at his boots. "I'm sure I'd have noticed if I could." He paused. "But I can tell."

"...tell?"

"When Rosalind is using an illusion."

"...Mark, the whole point is that you _can't_ tell."

"Right. But I can. It's... shiny."

" _Shiny_?"

"If it's one of your illusions, it looks shiny and weird. Every time. All the time." 

Rosalind stared at him. He could _tell_ . A completely invaluable skill. Illusions were no use if your target _knew_ it was one.

"...Mark," said Rosalind. "Promise never to betray me."

Marcus slammed his book shut and looked at her, unimpressed. "I wasn't intending on telling anyone." 

Ros stared, surprised. Usually a major development like this would be scheduled for the whole topic of conversation, for the entirety of dinner. "Not even for your research? Magic theory? All that?"

Marcus squinted at her, apparently trying to ascertain if she's being sarcastic or not. "I think I prefer my sister to my research."

"Oh, I'm honoured." 

"I meant Alex." 

"You're the worst, Mark." 

Marcus laughed without covering his mouth, which was also relatively rare. Chinhae grinned. 

"I think Alex can tell, too, you know," Marcus said as he stood to return the book. "I just think she doesn't want to hurt your feelings or ruin your pranks.

Rosalind ground her teeth."What's the point of having this if it doesn't even work on you two? You should be my main targets."

Marcus shrugged. "Well, it still works, we can just tell it's fake. I don't think our parents can tell. Dad definitely can't."

"Of course he can't," sighed Rosalind, then noticed Marcus struggling to pick up all of his books. "Here, I'll take them."

Marcus didn't bother arguing.

* * *

Ros was just about to turn back into the alcove, returning from replacing Marcus’s books, when she heard Chinhae say her name.

"---I suppose it's sort of like Rosalind."

She stopped and ducked behind the shelf to their left. Marcus replied; "What, in that you were born with it and it's just been getting stronger?"

Oh. It was just about his talent. Still, something suggested to her that she shouldn't reveal herself yet.

"Yes. Especially my hearing." 

Marcus considered this. "Interesting. Evers don't tend to have magic talents, though I don't know if _heightened senses_ are exactly magic...I wonder how close to 100% Good you are."

"I think it's got more to do with my mother's poisoning, actually."

"Really?"

"They were shocked when I was born so healthy, you see. So, now, I have to wonder…"

"Whether that's the side effect."

"Yes."

"Convenient side effect," mused Marcus.

"Ros would love to have it," said Chinhae. 

"What, so she could spy on people?"

"Yeah."

They laughed. Rosalind couldn't exactly argue. But the way Chinhae had gotten it…she shuddered. 

Eunha had been poisoned by a newly-graduated Never spy whilst she was pregnant with Chinhae. Miraculously, it hadn't killed her--brewed wrongly, experts had decided--but it had come incredibly close. Everyone had been practically catatonic with worry about the heir, but Chinhae hadn't died, either. He'd been born healthy, and had remained so. The same could not be said for poor Eunha, who'd never quite gone back to full health since, and dipped back into being bedridden frequently. She was remarkably strong, this visit. 

It had happened about a month before Rosalind and Marcus were born, so obviously she didn't remember the impact. But Alex, who'd been three, partially remembered the effects of it--the increase in guards, vetting of the kitchen staff, a knight trailing Agatha at every minute of every day. (Mostly, Alex remembered how she'd not been allowed to play in the gardens unsupervised.) 

Naturally, Chinhae didn't talk about it often, but it always hung over him. Every time Ros had seen him, until this visit, he'd been accompanied by a personal guard. Still, knowing it was a newly-graduated Never who'd poisoned Eunha in the first place, it made sense why the guards were suspicious of Seohun. But it was also why Eunha had made such a big point of how willingly she was appointing him--

"Seohun warned me we should keep an eye on her," Chinhae blurted. 

Ros frowned. It seemed Seohun was meddling in more than one place. _Ros, keep an eye on Chinhae. Chinhae, keep an eye on Ros_. What were they, his minions? He was certainly going too far-- 

"I'm not going to forget she exists just because she's across the bay," Marcus said thinly. 

"You know what I _mean_ ," Chinhae scolded.

Marcus sighed. "Yeah, I do."

_Ros_ didn't know what they meant. Did they think her incapable of handling herself? It wasn't as if two nerdy teenage boys were going to be able to help her in the battleground that was the School for Evil. 

She didn't _need_ their help, anyway.

Stung, she slipped back out the way she came, and marched out into the aisle, deliberately putting her heels on the flagstones. Marcus and Chinhae shut up the second she came around the corner. Marcus opened his mouth--

A maid came trotting towards them, and Rosalind found something hard and round being put in her palm. "Message from Princess Alexandra for the two of you," the maid said brightly, then turned and hurried away.

Ros looked down at the squirrelly nut in her palm, and heaved a sigh. "Mark," she said. "You're going to need to transcribe this. I refuse to speak in Alex's voice for any longer than necessary."

* * *

**TO: ROS AND MARK, CAMELOT CASTLE**

**FROM: ALEX, SOME THEATRE IN NUPUR LALA I FORGOT THE NAME**

_Hi guys! I was gonna write to you but I thought this was faster, we're really busy at the moment. I got the message from Da--_ **_(general chatter in the background)_ ** _oy, shut up! I'm trying to do a squirrelly nut! What? No, I put the wig where I always put it. Ahem, yeah, I got the message from Dad last night, congratulations! You know I always kind of--_ **_(chatter)_ ** _SHUT UP LUKE-- always kind of knew you'd end up in Evil, Ros... ah that's a lie, I didn't, but when Tyler got me to put a bet on it the other night, and I actually had to think about it, I laughed so hard about the idea of you going to Good that I fell off my chair. You'd have been so bad…_ **_(laughter)_ ** _Anyway have fun doing witchy stuff. And Marcus and Chinhae are going together, right? That's great, Sora's brother got in as well, so-_ **_-(shriek in the background)_ ** _oh my god, can they actually be quiet?_ **_(Hey Alex what are you--)_ ** _SORA THIS IS MY THIRD TRY AT THIS STUPID THING--_ **_(S: Hey guys! Congrats-- Marcus, Raiden says he'll see you in Hell, I presume he means Good--)_ ** _can you stop hijacking my message?_ **_(S: No)_ ** _I hate you._ **_(S: There's a woman sat out in the audience)_ ** _It's eleven in the morning, what the hell does she want?_ **_(S: I don't know, we need to go and talk to her.)_ ** _Ugh. Alright, bye kids!! Write to me about your first week! If it's terrible, I'll come and beat up Pollux! I presume Dad was okay with the Never thing by the way? His letter was pretty casual, I'm a bit surprised he didn't have a heart attack truth be told-- yes, I'm coming! Okay love you, bye! (General walking sounds and muttering heard.) Did you see anything at the market?_ **_(S: No, whatever it was, it was gone before we got there. They wouldn't tell us much.)_ ** _You think she's here about that?_ **_(S: Not sure. Possibly not.)_ ** _Ever seen her before?_ **_(S: no, grandmother thinks she's new.)_ ** _Hm. Oops, forgot to stop this--_

**MESSAGE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy quarantine reading i guess...?  
> we've finally been sent off school, starting monday, so probably expect more fic updates.......


	5. 2 fast 2 Alex

**(Rosewood Theatre, Nupur Lala, a day previously)**

“Alright, what does this lady want?” demanded Alex, hurling the squirrelly nut into one of her many pockets and turning expectantly to Sora.

Sora shrugged. “I already told you, I don’t know. I don’t even know who she is. Nadiya said she just keeps demanding to see the Quest leader.”

“...me?”

“Despite the fact you keep losing all the letters Sophie is sending you,  _ yes,  _ that’s you.” 

They emerged into the aisle, and Alex immediately caught sight of their visitor; a tall, elegant woman, with dark brown skin and big, soft eyes, dressed in an immaculately tailored yellow suit. She turned and blinked at them, looking bemused.

“...Princess Alexandra?”

“That’s me,” Alex chirped. 

“You… don’t look anything like your school portrait.”

Alex frowned. That had sounded oddly disapproving. “Don’t I?”

“Alex, you’re three years older, put on loads of muscle mass, got your nose broken, and cut all your hair off,” muttered Sora. “Of course you don’t.”

The woman’s eyes swivelled to Sora. “And this is…?”

“Akiyama Sora,” supplied Sora.

The woman looked a little surprised. “...the Tanaka’s son?”

“ _ Akiyama Emi’s grandson, _ ” snapped Sora, immediately stony.

“Oh, of course! My mistake. You just look so much like Daisuke, your father. It’s the eyes. Less like Koharu, I would say, but--”

“You’re closely acquainted?” interrupted Sora icily.

“I have met them several times, yes,” the woman smiled. “For work.”

Alex bit her cheek. Over the past three years, she’d learned a little more about Sora’s relationship--or lack thereof--with his parents, but he’d never been happy about mentioning it. This was the first time she’d heard their names. It hadn’t really occurred to her that Sora wouldn’t be using their surname. 

Bewildered as to how this woman wasn’t noticing Sora’s hostility, Alex decided to intervene. “Um, sorry-- who are you? What’s your job?”

“Ooh, I forgot to say! I’m so silly, sorry. My name is Hephzibah Fournier, but you can call me Professor Fournier--I’m the new Good Deeds teacher this year!” She beamed at them, arms open wide. 

“Oh wow, another one,” said Sora. Alex stepped on his foot. Hephzibah just smiled, though.

“Oh, yes, I understand you’ve had a somewhat  _ turbulent  _ teaching of the subject-- mostly supply teachers and guest speakers, am I right?”

“Yeah, no one really wanted the job after Cromwell,” admitted Alex. “I mean, it wasn’t as if Dean Anemone could teach it, she teaches Beautification. So we had some… er, variation.”

“Yes. In fact, we’ve gathered that your time at school in general has been a little chaotic.”

“...we?” said Alex.

“By which I mean--”   
“The Everwood Society,” interrupted Sora. “If you work with my parents, you work for the Everwood Society. Are you interfering with the School more directly, now the little Cromwell ploy didn’t work?”

Alex opened her mouth to tell him off for being rude--then realised what he’d said.

“You’re--you’re from the Everwood Society?”

Hephzibah smiled sheepishly and folded her hands in her lap. “Yes. The Everwood Society has become concerned by the quality of the education in Good as of late. Dean Anemone has wisely taken us up on our offer to provide a permanent Good Deeds teacher, and a board of governors, to advise her on the running of the School for Good. I admit that perhaps we should have given more thought to the advice we gave Ida, but she was no longer employed with us when she was Dean, so there was relatively little we could do for her.”

“Oh,” said Alex, suddenly not feeling inclined to be polite anymore.

“We have lots of grand plans,” said Hephzibah brightly. “We really want to help!”

“Are you going to turn Good into a museum, too?” said Alex tightly. 

Sora smirked. Hephzibah looked confused. “I’m sorry?”

“My mother’s house,” Alex said impatiently. “Graves Hill? The Everwood Society have swooped down on it and are trying to make it into a museum without her permission.”

Alex could have sworn that Hephzibah’s eyes became perfect circles. 

“What? Oh, I didn’t know! That certainly can’t be allowed, must be some lower-level employees going rogue, I’ll get that checked out  _ right  _ away. I’ve only just been appointed the Head of the Society--”

“Wow, congratulations,” sneered Sora. “That must be  _ so _ stressful.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ve got lots of busy bees working with me!” she laughed. Alex, who was never sure if Evers were literal or not when they used phrases like that, smiled half-heartedly. She wasn’t sure she believed her--it was highly unlikely a project that high-profile was being done on the down-low. 

“So… what does this mean for us?” she asked, trying her best to sound polite and not as if she wanted to fight this woman on her mother’s behalf.

“Nothing really, dear! I just wanted to let you know, and it gave me the chance to check up on you and your quest and introduce myself. This little play is proving very popular, isn’t it?”

“Ye-es...” said Alex slowly. “Did Sophie tell you what--?”

“She told me you were using this tour as a cover to get on the trail of a dark mage,” Hephzibah in a hushed tone, leaning towards them. “That’s so exciting, and very brave, but I do have to ask-- _ why  _ does that require such a large quest team, with Evers  _ and  _ Nevers?”

“Curses won’t run itself,” said Alex shortly. “And we wanted to preserve the original cast as much as we could. Wasn’t possible with some people, as some are off on their own quests, but… we tried.”

“Of course, I see, I see--well, it was very nice to meet you both! I wish you all the best on your quest. I’ll be teaching both your brothers soon enough!” She beamed at them and stood expectantly. 

“Oh, suppose you will,” said Alex unenthusiastically. “Would you like us to show you out?”

“I’m sure I can manage, thank you. Goodbye, Princess! Send my regards to your mother!”

She waved and marched off, down up the aisle and into the foyer.

Alex and Sora waited a second, then followed her. From the doorway, they watched her march out of the double doors, turn, straighten her jacket, and disappear to the left.

They were silent for a moment, making sure she was out of earshot.

“I hope Raiden skins her,” said Sora savagely. Alex searched helplessly for something to say, then noticed Talib standing by the entrance to the Circle, looking bewildered. 

“Er--who was that?”

Alex grimaced. “Long story. Can we call a cast meeting?"

* * *

  
“So, Sophie lied to her about our quest,” said Alex. “She must have been suspicious of her.”

“To be fair, our quest brief  _ is  _ pretty vague,” pointed out Tyler. “ _ Track a series of mysterious attacks around the Woods, using Curses as a cover, find out what’s causing them, and stop them.  _ Not exactly easy to explain, is it?”

“Sophie’s a Never,” pointed out Nadiya. “Of course she’d have been suspicious of them. I think they’re just uptight and heavy-handed, so people don’t like to give them a chance to interfere. You said she didn’t seem that way?”

“She didn’t have any prepositions for us, which surprised me.  _ She _ seemed pretty harmless,” admitted Alex. “But--”

“No way she’s harmless,” snapped Sora, leaning against Talib in the corner. “She mentioned Daisuke and Koharu to my face.”

June frowned. “Who are--”

“My parents,” Sora said curtly. 

“...ah.”

There was an awkward silence.

“She could just be stupid,” offered Marcy. “If she doesn’t know why you’re not living with them--”

“She will. It was all Ever social circles could talk about for years,” said Sora grimly. “Plus, they now appear to be working under her.”

Marcy grimaced.

“Well, it’s all pretty odd,” said Nadiya slowly, “but I don’t think there’s really any proof they’re up to something.”

“It’s the Everwood Society, of course they are,” shot Thorne. 

“They’re supposed to be model Evers. Isn’t the whole idea that they’re  _ not?”  _ pointed out June. 

“You actually believe that crap?” demanded Thorne. 

June shrugged. “I don’t, because they suck, but in theory--well, they have a reputation to maintain. They’re not supposed to have ulterior motives beyond maintaining the status of Good in the Endless Woods.” 

“I admit that it’s pretty odd, but I think Nadiya’s right,” said Tyler. “Good  _ has  _ been a mess for a while, it makes sense they’d want to help. And as for Grave’s Hill…” he glanced apologetically at Alex. “Well, no one’s living there anymore. They should have asked, but…”

Alex took a breath--

“Let’s not let this drive a wedge between us,” said Nadiya quickly. “We’ll just stay doing what we’re doing, for now, but we’ll keep an eye out. Alex, Sora, you two can write to your brothers, right? They’ll keep an eye on what’s going in inside the school--”

“Sure, I’ll write to Raiden and tell him to keep an eye on the woman who’s chummy with the people who dumped him on grandmother’s doorstep, I’m sure he’ll  _ love _ that,” snarled Sora. Everyone stared uncomfortably in different directions. Talib quietly put a hand on his back, and he settled a little, but it was clear he wasn’t going to be happy with their decision.

“Marcus’ll do it,” said Alex diplomatically. “But I agree we should be suspicious. And I think we should write to Sophie on the down-low, because she’ll want to know what she said to us.”

There was a smattering of nods and murmurs of agreement.

“So, for now,” said Alex, looking to Nadiya for approval, “We carry on as we are.” 

Nadiya nodded. “I think so. Sora?” she looked to him tentatively. 

Sora shrugged, temper still flaring. “Whatever you think.”

“Speaking of--” Alex turned quickly to look at their quest notes, pinned on the board behind her. “Marcy, did you and Kia see anything at the market?”

They’d been sending teams out, constructed based on whether they were in an Ever or Never kingdom, and if anyone was from the place they were performing in. Kia had been here on holidays before, and Marcy was a redhead, which was extremely common in Nupur Lala, so she could blend in better.

Marcy shook her head. “No one seemed to want to say anything. It was a few weeks ago, so I suppose they’re sick of it now. The best we got was that a couple of the Prince’s Guard were attacked in the square and the attacker ran off before anyone could catch them, which we already knew.” 

“No one saw the attacker’s face,” added Kia. “To be honest, everyone seemed pretty shaken up by it.”

Alex pursed her lips. “Similar to what happened in Foxwood.”

“Well, Foxwood is infamous for weak monarchs, it’s not really surprising there,” pointed out June. “Their King is a prat. But the Prince here… he’s not got any problems holding onto power, has he? You’ve met him, Alex.”

Alex shrugged. “I was 7 and more preoccupied with trying to convince Dad to buy me a sword, but I never got the impression he was disliked. So, if these attacks are connected, they don’t care about who they target.”

“The only real connection is that it’s always Evers vs. Nevers, or vice versa, and even that isn’t  _ that  _ unusual,” sighed Nadiya.

They fell into a thoughtful silence.

“Well, guess we’ll just carry on for now,” said Talib calmly. “Someone write to Sophie and tell her what happened, and we’ll keep an eye on the situation.”

“I’ll do it,” offered Alex. “I’m not on tonight.”

“Good,” said Thorne. “Gives you time to read today’s paper.”

Alex stared at him. “What’s in the paper?”

* * *

Alex groaned and slammed the  _ Nupur Lala Narrator _ shut. The headline glared up at her:

**WOODS-WIDE SHOCK AS PRINCESS ROSALIND OF CAMELOT ADMITTED TO EVIL!**

“She made a joke about offing the old man,” she sighed. A portrait of Ros at the press conference dominated the centre of the page, wearing her favourite plum suit and smirking at someone out of shot. Below the huge headline was a tiny subtitle:

**Prince Marcus of Camelot, Prince Chinhae of Avalon Towers, Akiyama Raiden and Princess Jade of Jaunt Jolie among high-profile names accepted to Good.**

Sora snorted from the sofa of her dressing room, where he was scratching out a letter. His mood seemed to have improved since earlier, but Alex was still treading somewhat carefully. 

“It’s only  _ sort _ of funny!” protested Alex. “Most people are going to think she meant it!”

“Didn’t she?” grinned Sora. Alex glared at him.

“Of course not, she cried for three days when he got scarlet fever. She was seven, but my point still stands.”

“Well, it’s something to entertain the tabloids,” said Sora cheerfully. “Anyway, she’s off to the school on Monday, so people must realise she’s not gonna be able to pull it off.”

Alex stared at him. “ _ Why  _ did you go to Good?”

“Because I’m a fundamentally pure soul, you git,” said Sora, chewing his pen. “I was just raised by a Never, so she warped my perspectives and my sense of humour. You should see Raiden, he’s a thousand times worse, because grandmother raised him from a baby. We were kind of surprised he got into the School, given we’re convinced he’s only 50.1% Good.”

“You writing to him now?”

“Yeah,” Sora’s grin faded. “I’m warning him about that woman.”

Alex cursed herself for bringing it up. “You said…” she began tentatively, but Sora waved her off impatiently.

“I know I said I wouldn’t earlier, I was just mad. I need to apologise to Nadiya later, actually. I was snappy with her. But he’ll handle it fine. He doesn’t care as much as I do, truthfully. I was probably projecting onto him.”

“...why? _ ” _

“Because he doesn’t remember it,” said Sora thinly. “I do.”

Alex remained silent, uncertain of what to say. Sora smiled grimly. “Tyler was the first person I told, you know? Bonded over shitty parents in the infirmary in first year. I’m sorry I never told you--”

“I gathered the basics,” said Alex quickly. 

“Yeah. They figured they couldn’t cope with the fact Raiden wouldn’t be able to walk, and they thought it would tarnish their reputation and standing, so they ditched us with grandmother and sailed off to Altazarra. But I didn’t tell him that they tried to keep  _ me _ .” 

Alex gawked at him, aghast.

“Unfortunately, they’d spent so long plucking up the  _ courage _ to do it, that they let me get attached to Raiden,” Sora said sardonically. “And I threw such a fit about it that eventually they sent me away with him too. Bit, kicked, screamed, cried to the servants, everything. I don’t think I was ever really ideal, to be honest, but I sealed my fate when I did that.”

Alex opened her mouth to say _ I’m sorry _ , thought it probably wasn’t appropriate, and closed it again. Sora seemed to guess what she was going to say.

“Don’t be sorry. We’d have turned into terrible people if they’d kept us.”

“Was your grandmother mad?” asked Alex, assuming a  _ yes.  _

“ _ Raging,”  _ said Sora, suddenly proud. “She went to my parent’s house, and put twelve hexes each on them.” His face softened a little. “Though she said she was happy to have a second chance at raising boys, seeing as her son turned out to be scum. She spits on the ground every time they get mentioned.”

Emi’s esteem was raised ever upwards in Alex’s eyes. “You’ve not seen them since?” she asked carefully. 

Sora pursed his lips. “No. I’ve heard they made an attempt to get into contact with me whilst I was at school, but someone blocked the letter from getting to me…”

He caught the look on Alex’s face and sat up.“It was  _ you?  _ How did you know their names--”

“It wasn’t me, no. I was an… accomplice.” Sora stared at her. Alex huffed.

“It was early in second year, and I had detention for climbing my grandfather’s statue--”

“Yes, I remember, you had to sort mail. But you said it wasn’t you?”

“No. I saw something with your name on it, and I didn’t recognise the sender. Talib was in there with me, because he convinced Pollux I needed  _ supervision _ when really he just wanted to help. I showed it to him, made some joke about fan-mail, and he looked horrified and snatched it off me. I asked what the problem was, and he said that was your parent’s names. He chucked it in the moat and made me promise not to tell you. He didn’t really need to, I’m not  _ that  _ stupid, but I get it. I presume you told him?”

“Yeah, he knew everything by that point,” said Sora. 

Alex squinted at him, uncertain. “You’re not mad?”

“You kidding? I’d have chucked it myself if you two hadn’t,” Sora laughed. “But I’m glad I didn’t have to. Thank you.”

“Oh,” Alex flopped back, relieved. “That’s okay.”

She found herself staring at her half-written letter to Sophie.

“You really think they’re up to no good?” she asked. Sora finished writing something that Alex was  _ sure  _ was incredibly rude in his native language and looked up. 

“Alex. Think about the three things we know about them; that my parents work there, that they’re trying to turn Graves Hill into a museum, and that they’re taking over Good. Does that scream  _ good intentions  _ to you?”

“I mean… no,” said Alex reluctantly. “But I thought maybe they were just idiots.”

“It’s possible,” said Sora. “But either way, I don’t like it.”

Alex grimaced. “I hope they don’t try and interfere on our quest,” she paused. “I wonder what they’re trying to do to Good?”

“Probably trying to transform it back into a perfect oppressive utopia,” snorted Sora. “How it was when your parents went, maybe. Or grandparents.”

“I hope not,” said Alex worriedly. “Mark won’t last long, if that’s the case. He’s not exactly a carbon copy of Dad.”

Sora grimaced. “I hadn’t thought of that. Hopefully Anemone won’t let them start backpedalling.”

“Hopefully.” Alex had some doubts about Anemone’s capacity to withstand the Society’s pressure. While her Beautification teacher was well-intentioned, she was pretty old nowadays, and easily impressionable. Her own students had managed to convince her of all sorts over the years, both accidentally and on purpose. The Everwood Society would sound far more reasonable than a bunch of teenage girls…

Alex caught sight of Sora sealing his letter and frowned. “Aren’t you worried about Raiden?”

Sora considered this. ”Well, only a little. He’s very thick-skinned, see. I imagine if they tell him to do something he doesn’t like, he’ll do it wrong on purpose, turn it round on them, or tell them to piss off.”

“He’s always reminded me a little of Ros,” snorted Alex. 

“I’m telling you, 50.1%,” grinned Sora. “But he is a little kinder than Ros."

“So you think he’ll do well?”

“Oh, he’ll pretend to hate it, but he’ll have a great time,” Sora grinned, shaking his head. “Verbal sparring with entitled nobles? Wearing an embroidered waistcoat and winding up Lucas? Sitting on the sidelines of Weapons Training and being judgemental? Ironically hating on the Nevers?  _ And  _ the Everwood Society to contest with?” He snorted. “It’s like his own personal amusement park. You just watch. He’ll be an utter nightmare and still come out with a good rank because of his concealed good intentions.”

“I think Marcus is hoping to be roomed with him.”

“He almost certainly will be,” said Sora. “They sent him a simpering letter, asking if there was anyone he’d prefer to be in a room with, who could help with his condition _.  _ I’m pretty sure he said Marcus, then had a good laugh, because he knows there’s no way Marcus is strong enough to hold him up. But he likes Marcus, he thinks he’s fun. He said someone else too, but I can’t remember who...”

Alex blinked.  _ She  _ had fun with Marcus, but she was his sister. With pretty much anyone else, Marcus was snippy and impossible to keep up with.  _ Fun  _ wasn’t how he was usually described.

“Intellectual equals, according to him,” clarified Sora, noticing her confused expression. “They understand each other well, I think. They like to bounce ideas off each other.”

Alex thought back to the few times she’d seen Marcus and Raiden together. It did seem that Sora had a point. 

“Well,” she said. “I hope he can convince Marcus to enjoy it, as well.”   


“He’ll do his best, I expect,” said Sora, finishing addressing his letter and chucking it on top of Alex’s unfinished letter to Sophie. “But Raiden is one fifteen year old asshole. He’ll need some help if he’s going to go up against the Everwood Society.”

“That,” said Alex tiredly. “Is very true.” She stuffed the newspaper and Sora’s letter under a spellbook Thorne had bought at the market--  _ An Introduction to Reptile Spells _ \-- for safekeeping, and turned back to her letter to Sophie. The portrait of Ros, smiling her languid, menacing smile, was still visible. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the gang r back!! briefly. I just wanted a quick "here they are this is what they're doing!!" chapter lmao. what do we think of hephzibah then??   
> guess who's pov it is next chapter? (hint; 50.1% good.)


	6. the baby race (like the cold war, but with less communism, and fewer nukes)

Raiden knew that upon enrollment in the School for Good, he was supposed to forsake all of his bad habits. Sarcasm, snap judgements, laughing at things he wasn’t supposed to laugh at, and doing wheelies in his chair were now all things of the past. He was supposed to go in with a clean slate and come out a new man. That said, he didn’t really feel like becoming a new man. And, as a general rule, he never liked doing what he was supposed to do. As such, his first thought upon entering the entrance was not something excited or awed or appreciative.

It was _Christ, I hate confetti._

A huge banner proclaiming _Welcome, New Evers!_ in shimmering silver thread was draped between the Honor and Purity staircases. Pink and blue balloons floated aimlessly about, strings trailing in the layer of confetti spread over the pristine floor. He’d be spending a few hours later picking that out of his wheels, then. A cluster of white-clothed tables dominated the centre of the hall, each holding a storybook and a scattering of themed snacks.Cinderella was open to the page of her wedding to her Prince, and tiny pumpkin pies were laid neatly out around it, Snow White featured apple fritters (was that in poor taste?) and sugar diamonds, Hansel and Gretel was featured with tiny pots of fancy chocolates… all promoting Good’s most high profile victories.   
Starting the indoctrination early, clearly.   
Sighing, he rolled his chair forwards, and was immediately approached by a towering nymph.

“Raiden of Walleye Spring?”

Raiden craned his neck back to look up at her, resenting how she’d not bothered to stand further away. “Yes?”

“Your books and uniform.”

“Very efficient,” Raiden mused as a wicker basket was deposited none-too-gently in his lap. 

“New leadership,” the nymph said vaguely as she drifted away. Raiden frowned, remembering the letter from Sora that had arrived this morning. Interesting. Especially as this was reminiscent of the low budget Welcoming he’d seen at Sora’s first year visiting weekend. 

He turned towards the tables and found, unsurprisingly, that he was one of the first here. Aside from liking to be early, getting places before the scheduled time gave him more time to maneuver steps, doors, or uneven ground. Right now, there were only two other students standing around; a girl at one of the tables a little way away, picking through the food lethargically, and a boy hovering nearby. Both beautiful, obviously--the girl was short and curvy, with a flawless dark complexion and a sweet face, whilst the boy was probably at least six feet tall and heavily muscled, with a messy blond ponytail that managed to make him look carefree and dashing, rather than dishevelled. Typical. Did Evers like this even have a bad angle--?

The boy caught Raiden's eye and beamed, immediately bounding over to talk to him. 

“Hi! We’re the first two Everboys here! Nice to meet you, I’m Jackson of Bremen, what’s your name?” He snatched up Raiden’s hand in his significantly larger one and shook it enthusiastically. Raiden blinked, somewhat blinded by the sheer force and size of his smile, which seemed to take up the majority of his tan face. 

“Raiden,” he said, slightly taken aback by his immense enthusiasm. “of Walleye Spring.”

“Oh, yeah,” Jackson dropped his hand and grinned sheepishly, fiddling with his blonde ponytail. “I know that. I just memorised a specific greeting I was gonna say to everyone, so I wouldn’t embarrass myself.”

“...right,” said Raiden, faintly bemused and endeared in equal measure, staring up at this gigantic muscular boy. “Er, how do you know who I am?” 

“Ah, it’s embarrassing, mate,” Jackson rubbed his jaw awkwardly. “My little sister reads Teen Woods and she shows it to me like, all the time, right? And you’re in it quite often. So...I know your face.”

Raiden bit back a snort. Of course. He wasn’t as high profile as someone like the newly nefarious Rosalind, but he was seen often enough to make it into trashy teen magazines, thanks to his infamous grandmother. “Oh, right. Makes sense, I guess.”

“Yeah!” Jackson, seemingly decided that he hadn’t humiliated himself, went straight back to grinning. “Are you excited? I got here super early ‘cos I couldn’t wait any longer.”

“That’s… great. Um, it’s kinda exciting, yeah.” said Raiden slowly, trying not to burst his bubble. 

“Aw, well, your brother already came here, so I guess you know more, right? But I’m the first person in my family to come here since my great great great great granddad!”

“Er, who was that?”

“The Clever Little Tailor!” Jackson said proudly.

“That’s pretty cool.”

“Right? I've got a lot to live up to. My parents were super proud. They even bought me these new boots, so all the rich boys wouldn’t make fun of me.” He wiggled his toes in his shiny brown boots. Raiden resisted the urge to grab Jackson’s head and squish his face. It was like a golden retriever had mogrified into a human. 

“They’re nice.”

“Aw, thanks! Hey, what room are you in? We might be near each other!” 

“Oh--I don’t know, I haven’t checked.” He dug in his basket, and Jackson frowned thoughtfully, watching him.

“Does your grandmother count as a fairy tale legacy relative?”  
Raiden pursed his lips, pulling a piece of paper from under Swordplay for Beginners. “Yes, she’s been involved in several people’s tales.”

“ _Awesome_.”

Technically, his father, as one of Rhian’s guards who eventually (very eventually) rebelled against the King in The Tale of Sophie and Agatha also counted, but hadn’t included him on his application. He squinted at the paper. “Honour 4. Ground floor.”

“Yes, man!” Jackson pumped his first. “I’m Honour 3, we’re next door neighbours!”

Raiden couldn’t help but grin. “Great.”

Jackson looked around in general delight--then his eyes snagged on the girl by the tables. “Should we go and say hi to her? She’s on her own. I don’t want her to be lonely.”

He looked so genuinely worried that Raiden nearly laughed. “Yeah, sure. Come on.”

* * *

As it turned out, her name was Amelie, she hailed from Nupur Lala, and she was just as enthusiastic as Jackson, if not more. 

“I didn’t even expect to get in!” she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “It was a total surprise. My mother was so happy!” 

“Me too,” said Jackson earnestly. “Snowball’s chance in hell, but somehow, we’re here!”

They looked at Raiden. Raiden looked in between them--Jackson with his sharp jaw and long, sleek hair, Amelie with a halo of curls, both beaming at him. Textbook Evers, the both of them. 

“Well,” he said. “My brother already came here, so… I guess I wasn’t surprised. Nepotism, eh?” They laughed. Raiden shrugged. “Either way, I suppose I am surprised. I considered applying to both schools, as I’ve got both Ever and Never heritage, but...” He put a hand mock-emotionally on his chest. “I felt I was too sensitive for Evil.”

Amelie blinked, momentarily shocked out of her smile. “You-- oh! I didn’t know you could do that.”

“It would have been unheard of, thirty or so years ago,” admitted Raiden. “Things have changed. But yes, my grandmother and brother are convinced I’m only 50.1% Good. Still, it’s the 0.1% that counts, isn’t it?”

“Sure is!” said Jackson brightly, digging through his basket.

“What lesson are you most excited for?” Amelie asked Raiden. Raiden considered this, thinking he might have to vet his answer. This girl seemed rather earnest.

“I suppose History will be interesting,” he said, deciding not to admit that he was really neutral on everything and extremely anti-Surviving Fairy Tales.

“Ooh, you must be so clever, looking forward to History…I’m afraid I’ll do badly, I’m so stupid,” sighed Amelie.

“I’m sure you’re not,” said Raiden, trying to sound reassuring. “Besides, even if academics aren’t your thing, there’s plenty of practical stuff here.”

“Of course!” Amelie perked back up immediately. “I’m so excited for Animal Communication, I love all animals. It’ll be so much fun to talk with them, won’t it?”

“Sure,” agreed Raiden. “Perhaps I can tie some wolves to my chair and get them to pull me along.”

Amelie laughed, clapping her hands together. “You’re _funny_.”

“I try,” said Raiden.

Jackson resurfaced, gawking at the uniform. “Woah, look at the embroidery on this waistcoat--”

“I’m getting the impression you want to go and get changed, Jackson,” said Raiden dryly, eyeing the group of boys sauntering in the doors behind them. “Want to match with everyone else at the Welcoming?”

Jackson’s eyes widened.

“Oh, the Welcoming! I’d forgotten! When’s that?”

“In two and a half hours,” said Amelie promptly. “Gives people enough time to get to know one another, and change, and... things…” she trailed off awkwardly. “Oh-- sorry. I’m a little excited!”

“At least someone is organised,” said Raiden. “Who told you, one of the nymphs?”

“Yes! One of the nymphs,” Amelie said quickly. She seemed relieved they hadn’t minded her being overzealous.

“We don’t have to fight one another anymore, right?” asked Jackson, suddenly anxious, turning to Raiden. 

“Shouldn’t think so,” said Raiden. “They didn’t mention it, and my grandmother says the Everboys in her time got prior notice, so they could practice.”

“Oh. Good.”

“Not much of a swordsman?”

“Well,” Jackson frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve only ever really practiced alone. I think I might be half-decent, but I’ve never really duelled anyone, except my dad.”

Raiden shrugged. “You’re probably better than you think.”

“Ah, you’re kind, mate.”

“Does that mean they won’t do the rose thing?” cut in Amelie, looking rather hopeful.

“I suspect some idiot will try it, but I guess it’s not official anymore,” said Raiden.

“Oh, good--” Amelie paused. “Well, it’s a very sweet gesture, of course, but I think it maybe creates a lot of pressure…?” She looked between them, uncertain.

“I think you might be right,” said Raiden easily. 

“I mean, I wouldn’t be adverse to getting a rose from any of them--” Jackson cast an admiring glance over his shoulder at the group of Everboys gathering nearby-- “But I see your point.”

Raiden laughed. “Also valid. Shall we go and get changed, then?”

* * *

They were nearly at Honor Tower when the distinct sound of someone tripping (and swearing) reached Raiden’s ears. He turned himself around to see a new Evergirl stumbling up the steps and into the Entrance Hall. 

This one, he recognised.

She didn’t have many portraits, but he still recognised the birdlike, angular girl behind him, with her bobbed cluster of brown curls and tan skin. 

Jade of Jaunt Jolie had come out to play. 

Raiden watched her take a few reluctant steps in, staring around with big, soft eyes, mouth slightly open to expose slightly-too-large front teeth. Her gaze was mingling awe and distrust, which Raiden thought was sensible of her.

He tried to recall anything he knew about Princess Jade Maria Álvarez, but found he was distinctly lacking in scandalous trivia. King Adrian’s oldest-- and rarest-seen-- child was something of an enigma. However, she did have a rather fascinating…origin story. Most royal historians called it an “unspoken rivalry,” Emi called it a “mess”-- but Alex, seated on Emi's veranda with Sora and Raiden, mouth full of gyoza, had called it “The Baby Race.”

_“You’re getting this from the horse’s mouth,”_ she’d said conspiratorially. _“‘Cause I started it. Well, I didn’t start it on purpose, but me being born triggered it. Not that I asked to be born--”_

_“What actually **happened**?”_ demanded Sora. 

_“Oh. Well, basically, I was the first of this generation of Ever heirs to be born, and this like, really pissed off King Adrian over yonder in Jaunt Jolie, cause he was desperate for a son. See, they operate on 'oldest son gets bum on throne' still, rather than 'oldest kid' full stop. So sons are more important to them. Anyway, he got really paranoid that my parents were going to beat him to it. Have a stronger line of succession, which gives the economy a boost, makes you look powerful, all that jazz. Course, I was a girl, but rumour has it he read Alexandra on the announcement as Alexander and panicked ‘cos he thought I was a boy. ”_

Alex paused to stuff more gyoza in her mouth, then continued. _“He realised he was wrong when he saw the Princess bit, obviously, but it made him like, super desperate for a son. So, the second he got married--they took me to his wedding, by the way, just because my mom wanted to annoy him--he was trying for a kid. Eventually his Queen got pregnant and he was so smug about it. Then the kid was born, and… er... she was a girl. Princess Jade. He was mad as hell, and even madder when both Empress Eunha and my mom showed up to the Christening both pregnant. And then they both had boys! Marcus and Ros were born in June, and Prince Chinhae was born in July. Adrian didn’t rock up to either Christening, obviously. He had his boy, Prince Adam, not that long after, but I don’t think he ever really got over Jade not being a boy, so he’s always been really chilly towards her. He had another daughter, but by that time, the pressure was kind of off, and besides, she’s terrible just like him--”_

Raiden was snapped out of his reverie by Jackson. “ _Woah_ , is that the Princess of Jaunt Jolie?”

“The elder one, yes,” said Raiden, watching Jade immediately make a beeline for the food. Amelie approached her politely, and struck up a conversation; Jade, half an apple fritter crammed in her cheek, blinked at her awkwardly as she chattered. “You see her in Teen Woods, too?”

“A little, but, honestly, I see her sister more,” admitted Jackson quietly. “I don’t think she gets around much, and there’s not many paintings of her. Maybe she doesn’t like having her portrait painted. Well, and…” he lowered his voice to a whisper. “ _I don’t think King Adrian likes her much_.”

“I think you might be right,” said Raiden. “In fact, I believe that’s the worst kept secret in the Woods, besides the fact that King Tedros buys merchandise with his own face on it.”

“ _Does_ he?”

“You didn’t hear it from me,” grinned Raiden, turning back to the tower and knowing full well they were actually gag gifts from his daughters. “If you hear someone falling over next door, ignore it. I can’t stand up for very long, and my balance is questionable at the very best of times.”

* * *

It didn’t take long for his roommates to arrive. Raiden had just finished fighting with his uniform when the door opened, and two pairs of dark eyes were staring at him.

“Hello, your eminences,” he said brightly. “You’re stuck with me, isn’t that grand?”

He was a little confused, though, when both princes sagged in relief. “Oh,” sighed Marcus, looking the most animated he’d ever seen him. “Thank _god_ it’s you.”

Raiden grinned, but he was a little bemused. “Am I just that good-looking, Tedros Junior? Have you gone blind to Chinhae’s looks after spending a few weeks together?” Chinhae, hovering behind Marcus, frowned. 

Marcus kicked the door shut and threw his book bag onto the bed opposite Raiden’s, rolling his eyes at the nickname. Well, he shouldn't have told Raiden his middle name, should he? “No, the reason I was relieved is because we were told someone had requested us when we arrived, and we immediately expected some grovelling social climber.”

“Oh,” Raiden laughed. “No, I just wanted you so you could physically drag me off the floor if need be.”

Chinhae looked a little wary. "...Is that going to happen often?"

Raiden smiled at him. “Kidding, Chae. They asked if I wanted to have anyone specific roomed with me, and I preferred to have people I already know.”

Marcus frowned. “You and Chinhae know each other?”

“We meet at Eastern summits quite often,” clarified Chinhae. “Empress Mika and my mother are close allies.”

“Oh. I don’t meet with people at summits often.” 

“I know, sweetheart,” said Raiden. “You sit next to your old man and make all the other nobles look stupid. They’re gonna hate it when you’re in charge.”

Marcus went red. “I’m not even the heir.”

“Don’t count it out too soon.” warned Raiden. "You know Alex is reluctant, and as for your charming twin…” He gestured pointedly at the black turrets visible out of the window.

Marcus chewed his cheek. “Can we not discuss what’s going to happen when our parents die, on the first day of school?”

“...yeah, alright,” conceded Raiden. “Sorry. It’s the Never in me.”

“My mother said she was surprised you weren’t a Never as well,” said Chinhae, tipping his books out onto his bed.

“Aw, little old me? The Empress must know that I’m a fair sight kinder than ruthless Ros.” tutted Raiden. 

“Ros isn’t that bad,” murmured Marcus. 

“No? Well, in that case, she’ll need to be much worse, if she wants to come out of _that_ school alive,” said Raiden.

There was a pause. 

“That was a little dark, wasn’t it?” He added. “Well, welcome to the School for Good and Evil, gents. Now, I was thinking, since we’re a team now, we should make badges, or maybe jackets--”

Marcus groaned, and Chinhae laughed. _Maybe_ , Raiden thought, _just maybe, this won’t be so bad after all._

* * *

Sam watched her classmates arrive from the shadows of Vice Tower, and tried to work out who was going to be the weakest link. Maybe the boy with the thin hair and shifty eyes. He was clutching his bags like they contained something precious. Kept looking at the left side pocket, too. Or the girl with a mane of sandy curls? That necklace had to be Drupathi ruby. Stupid of her to bring it. Sam wondered if she locked it away at night. Probably not.   
And there, heavy gold rings--cursed, by the look of their sheen. Oh well, she had enough pairs of jade-inlaid gloves to solve that. Probably from Ladelflop or Nupur Lala, then. Boots with Maidenvale silver buckles. Dragon hide coats. Ooh, the Nevers were fancy this year, weren’t they…

Unfortunately, they were also vigilant. It appeared that while they might be stupid enough to bring valuables to a school teeming with crooks-in-training, they weren’t stupid enough to let down their guard. Bah. Sam had to put in effort, then. Of course, there were plenty of scruffy, dirty, smelly Nevers with no valuables, too. Variety, and all that. Sam considered herself somewhere in the middle. She had an appreciation for the finer things in life, brushed her hair, and bathed relatively regularly, but also wiped her nose on her sleeve and wore the same bra for two months. That's how it _should_ be, she felt. Add a little normality to this shiny, spotless, sprawling castle. Ugh. Give her the rigging of her ship any day. 

Still, most of these Nevers, even the more well-groomed, looked out of place as they slid down from their stymphs. The majority were glancing around apprehensively. The massive statue of Sophie in her Queen of Evil catsuit, standing over the doorway to the tower like the Colossus of Rhodes, probably wasn’t a great welcome. Sam herself didn’t really care. She’d seen better statues. She’d _stolen_ better statues. Still, Sophie's presence was oppressive right from the get go, and, really, was there _anyone_ who wasn’t at least a little intimidated by the Witch of Woods Beyond--?

The crowd of students hanging around by the stymphs suddenly and inexplicably scattered. Sam, confused, peered through the throng, wondering who they were looking at--

"Well, I'll be damned," murmured Sam to herself. "Thought it was a tabloid rumour.” It seemed living on a pirate ship meant you missed the confirmation of important things every now and again. 

Sheet of dark hair practically floating behind her, wide brown eyes stark (and slightly too piercing) in her pale face, tiny chains on her black velvet suit jingling with every click of her heels, Rosalind of Camelot sauntered through the crowd in Evil just like her father once had in Good, straightening the wrinkles in her sleeves and brushing some invisible speck from her lapel. 

Dozens of pairs of eyes hungrily tracked her flawless face. Sam's eyes followed the ring on her right middle finger. Gold. Two Jaunt Jolie pearls with tiny Hamelin diamonds. Not to mention the signet ring on her left index. Heavy silver. Carved with a rose. Whoever decided on her seal was feeling original. Roses for Rosalind. Groundbreaking.

But maybe Sam should… introduce herself.

Before she got the chance, the spell was broken and Ruby Necklace Girl descended on Rosalind. "So it was true?" She demanded. The catch to her necklace was facing Sam. More people were jostling her to form a circle around Rosalind, and it looked like Rosalind was going to reply--

Sam darted forward. More jostling, oh dear, sorry-- she pretended to stumble and grabbed onto Necklace Girl’s arm, squeezing slightly too hard.

"Ooh, sorry, lovie--" 

The girl didn’t even look at her, just scowling and elbowing her away as Sam used her shoulder to haul herself back upright. Reliably rude, Nevers. 

"Clearly," said Rosalind. "Would you be so kind as to move, so I can get my schedule?" 

As Sam shoved her hand in her pocket, she hit the crumpled bit of paper. Oh, yeah. She hadn't even looked at it. The Nevers mostly didn’t move, but someone turned and shuffled off, presumably to find Rosalind's schedule.

Rosalind didn’t look vexed. Her face didn’t betray much of anything at all. She raised her eyebrows.

"Never had an Ever kid here before," said Gold Ring Boy. “Not a royal one.”

"First time for everything," said Rosalind calmly. 

Sam pulled her schedule out and squinted at it. What a nice cover. Yes, her hand had been in her pocket to get something. Not to put something away. _Obviously_.

Rosalind's schedule was passed to the front. A slight frown crossed the Princess's face as she was offered it.

"Thank you," she said. All manners, but Sam guessed she didn’t like this little crowd she'd attracted. Or maybe she could tell they were all waiting to hear what room she was in. 

Roomed with the Never from Camelot. What a farce. Sam's said Malice 15. Hmm. She wondered what--

"Malice 15." Rosalind was saying.

_Christ on a bike._ Thought Sam. _I've got the Never from Camelot._

"Malice 15 only has two people." said someone eagerly. "My sister was here last year. Who's got--"

Sam elbowed Altazarra Ruby and Dragon Hide Coat violently out of the way. "Move, small fry," she said grandly. "From now on, I'm rooming with royalty, me." 

* * *

"--lost my necklace--!"

"Must have fallen off when you were on the stymph--"

"Maybe in the moat--?"

Sam slammed the door of Malice 15 shut, blocking out the wails in the hall, and offered her hand to her new royal roommate. "Samiya of Ginnymill," She said by way of introduction. "Technically. I was born on the border between Ginnymill and Nupur Lala. On a pirate ship." The room was opulent and vaguely oppressive; all sleek black marble and floorboards, with spiked iron bedframes and black and red sheets.

"My," said Rosalind. "How interesting. Descended from Hook?”

Sam snorted. “Yeah, pretty much every pirate clan is, nowadays. My gran was one of the original ones who fled when he copped it, though.”

“Do people call you Sam?"

"Yeah, everyone."

"Well then, Sam, I'd like my ring back."

Sam froze with her hand half to her pocket. "What ring?" She said.

"The ring you just took off my hand."

"I didn't--"

"I won't snitch about the necklace if you hand it back," said Rosalind smoothly.

Sam did some very quick mental maths, and some more mental swearing. Then, very slowly, she held the ring back out.

"Thank you," Rosalind plucked it out of her palm and put it back on her finger. "It was a very good try, though." 

"How did you see that I--"

Ros shrugged. "I wouldn't have noticed you took the necklace if she wasn't talking to me. After that, I was on guard." 

Sam ground her teeth, staring at her. She was undeniably beautiful, but in Sam’s opinion she could do with looking a little grubbier. If Sam was bothered by these sorts of things-- which she wasn’t--she’d have found her almost unsettling. No one up to any good looked that… shiny. Then again, they weren’t supposed to be up to any good, but nonetheless, Rosalind reminded her of the sirens she sometimes saw off the coast of Jaunt Jolie, unfairly and unreliably perfect--

A muttered rumor she’d overheard at port abruptly surfaced. 

...worth a try.

"So," she said. "Do you actually look like that, or is it just your illusion?" 

Rosalind's calm, calculating eyes flared in a sudden, satisfying gleam of genuine surprise. 

It was true.

That was her talent. Oh. Interesting. The drama. The potential for trouble. Ooh, what a talent…

“How do you know that?” snarled Ros. 

Sam grinned. “See, now we’ve both pissed each other off, eh?”

“How did you _know_ \--”

Sam waved her off. “Ah, don’t get yourself all worked up, Princess, you just reminded me of the sirens I see when I’m at sea. They use illusion magic, see. I heard a rumour at a Camelot trade stop about one of the princesses changing things into other things, an’ I thought it was just some weird magic that your Alex had picked up somewhere. But I realised when I saw you there was no _way_ you’re that hot. Sorry.”

Surprisingly, Rosalind’s face cleared. “Oh. I thought--”

“It had got out? Nah, fear not, no one pays attention to dockside gossip besides us sailors.” Sam grinned at her, feeling rather smug. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. _However_ \--”

“You want payment?”

Sam blinked.“For an Ever kid, you understand Never customs very well.”

Ros ignored the comment. “I’ll give you the sapphire brooch the court forced me to bring with me, plus any suitor gifts that are sent to me, and--”

“That ring?”

“No, it has my siblings and my birthstones in it and I’d rather I kept it,” Ros said icily. 

Sam held up her hands. “Fine. I take unemotionally attached expensive things only. Like suitor gifts.”

The ghost of a smile passed over Rosalind’s face. “You’re in luck, because I heard the King of Ravenswood’s son is newly interested in me now that I’m… _more to his tastes,_ and Ravenswood is extremely rich.”

“... you interested in him?”

“Absolutely not.” scoffed Ros.

“Oh, good. I met him once, he was a git.”

Ros looked suspiciously at her over the top of her trunk. “... where?”

“I was stealing some scimitars from their armoury and he came and threw a mace at my head,” sniffed Sam. “Proper rude of him.”

“... right.”

Sam grinned, sprawling out on Rosalind’s claimed bed, mostly to just test out how easily annoyed she was. “Also, do you know how to cut hair?”

“Yes.”

“Can you cut my fringe, when I stop being able to see? Usually, my sister does it.”

“...fine,” muttered Rosalind. Sam grinned, patting her pale cheek.

“You know, roomie, I might just end up taking a liking to you. And then I’ll keep your little talent secret for free. Once I’ve got a couple of very valuable things, obviously.”

Ros looked down at her. Sam thought, for a second, she looked genuinely pleased.

“You remind me of my sister,” she said.

Sam smiled. “I like that Alex. I went to see her play when we were in the same kingdom. She’s very funny,” she paused thoughtfully. “So, does this mean we’re gonna get on?”

In answer, Ros dropped a very heavy brooch onto her chest. Sam sat up and examined it, eyes wide. Drupathi gold, Putsi sapphire...

“I think,” she said. “That’s a _yes_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEYY new characters! well raiden isn't new but still. that's all the main players introduced now! so, time for them to all interact...  
> In the chapter after next.   
> We have a Gavaldon Issue to sort out first.


	7. aw honey, look, its where you almost died!

Gavaldon had not changed in thirty years. Not that Tedros remembered it particularly _well_ \-- he had been fifteen and was missing about a pint of blood when he’d arrived, and the only time he'd gone outside, the villagers had tried to execute him. But the quaint little town was pretty much identical to the one he remembered, even down to the pastel cottages. 

“You’d have thought they’d have changed it a bit in thirty years,” he remarked as they drew closer. 

“They got rid of the statues,” said Agatha vaguely. 

“What statues?”

“The statues of me and Sophie.”

“You had _statues_?” 

Agatha did not respond. Tedros didn’t press her; she’d been prickly all day, and he’d not really had the chance to talk to her about it. Everyone had left at the same time, early this morning; Rosalind to Evil, Marcus and Chinhae to Good, and Eunha, Jun and Seohun back to Avalon Towers whilst Tedros and Agatha had decided to ride to Graves Hill themselves. The court had offered to send representatives to put a stop to the Everwood Society’s construction, but Agatha had refused, on the grounds that she didn’t want anyone _else_ meddling with her mother’s house, which was really fair enough. 

Still, Tedros had never really been able to fathom why she’d not gone back before now. _He’d_ never been back until now--he’d never thought his presence would exactly encourage goodwill--but Agatha had been on a couple of visits with Sophie and Nicola, to negotiate the future of Readers at the School for Good and Evil. He’d assumed she’d taken the opportunity to visit whilst she’d been there, but, apparently, she hadn’t. When he’d asked why, she’d muttered something about there being no point and gone to check Rosalind had packed her boots.

He initially thought she was antsy because of Rosalind and Marcus’s departure, but it was definitely their trip to Gavaldon. Rosalind had sauntered off without a hint of…well, any emotion, as was her custom, and Marcus had seemed happy enough to go with Chinhae. Now he knew both Chinhae and Sora’s brother, the ever-irreverent Raiden, were both going, he’d seemed a lot more comfortable with the concept, thank god. They hadn’t been pacing and fidgeting and wild-eyed like Alex had. At least not outwardly. Tedros had managed to catch Ros alone the previous night, and while she hadn’t said anything about _herself_ , she’d had plenty to say about how she felt Marcus’s prospects at Good were, and Tedros had worried himself by finding that he agreed with her. Evers _could_ be vain and easily swayed and disparaging of anything less than perfection, and-- 

Agatha swore from beside him, and Tedros was snapped out of his thoughts.

“What?”

Agatha made a bad-tempered gesture down the street, and Tedros followed it--

There was a crowd at the base of Graves Hill.

“What’s this, the welcoming committee?” he snorted. “Did the Council of Lords send advance notice so that they can bow and scrape appropriately?”

“They’re not waiting for us,” said Agatha, who’d always maintained good eyesight, long after Tedros had started to bad-temperedly concede that he might, sometimes, need to wear glasses. “They’re watching what’s happening. Look.”

Tedros squinted in the direction that she was pointing. “Is that a wagon? What do they need that for--? Oh.”

There was a long line of workers snaking down the hill, marching towards the already piled-high wagon, all carrying armfuls of stuff, presumably Callis’s. Tedros blinked. “All of that fit in that tiny house?”

“You never went in the cellar, clearly.” 

Tedros had a foggy memory of Callis saying if he had died, she would have put his body down there, because it was “ _nice and cold_ ,” but he didn’t voice it. “What are they doing with everything?” he asked instead. “If they’re making a museum out of the place, don’t they need to keep it?”

“I imagine they’re getting rid of the things they deem unimportant,” Agatha said sourly. “Uninteresting clothes, pots and pans, plants, books, that sort of thing.”

“Shouldn’t we go and see if there’s anything on there you want?” 

“I want to find out how far they’ve gotten in clearing it all out,” said Agatha. “And unless I’m mistaken, I can see one of Sophie’s brothers. I imagine he’ll know. Come on.”

She spurred her horse ahead of him, and Tedros rushed to catch up with her. As they drew closer, he could hear the crowd chattering;

“All sorts of voodoo magic--”

“Apparently they needed three cursebreakers just to get through the door--”

“Did you hear that her daughter got into Evil? Said in the Gavaldon Gabbler that she was 100% Evil, and that she’d already tried to kill her father twice. Poor Agatha, clearly the girl gets it from her aunt--”

Tedros frowned. It seemed that the _Gavaldon Gabbler_ was about as well informed as the _Royal Rot_. He should have known that Rosalind’s patricide comment would have gotten misquoted somewhere, no matter how amusing they personally had found it. Rosalind always had scorned media training. Knowing none of this would please Agatha in the slightest, he hurried to follow her as she dismounted and left her horse grazing by a tree. He just managed to catch up with her as she approached the tall, broad man stood on the edge of the crowd.

“Jacob!”

He turned and watched them approach with some apprehension. “Um, do I know--” he paused, then his eyes widened. “Wait, _Agatha_?”

“How long has this been going on for?” demanded Agatha, forgoing pleasantries. “I got the letter from Stefan about a week ago.”

Jacob blinked a few times, clearly trying to collect his thoughts. “Um, only… about a day more than that. They just turned up and started trying to crack the wards on the house, which took them most of the week. They’ve only been clearing out the house since yesterday, and we still don’t think they managed to get into the cellar, or upstairs.”

“And I suppose everyone tried really hard to stop them,” said Agatha dryly. Jacob went red. 

“Well, me and Adam and a couple of others-- you know, Nicola’s brothers, my mother-- went up and asked them what they were doing. But they showed us this official looking paper, and most people assumed that was that and either left them alone or…um, went to help carry stuff for a bit of extra cash.” He gestured towards the line of people snaking down the hill.

“So everyone took the opportunity to have a good snoop through my dead mother’s things, did they?” Agatha folded her arms and looked grimly up the hill. “Wasn’t enough for them to murder her in the first place, was it?”

Jacob looked uncomfortably at Tedros, who shrugged. People were starting to turn to stare at them, now, and he was pretty sure they were also starting to recognise them, because a lot of people were suddenly very silent. “I… don’t really remember what happened,” said Jacob awkwardly. “I was pretty young--”

“Oh, I know,” Agatha dismissed, starting up the hill. “It’s fine, I’ll go and stop them.” It didn’t sound fine. 

Before either Tedros or Jacob could say anything, someone cut in front of her. “Sorry, couldn’t help but overhear--are you claiming that you’re the real Agatha? The Queen of Camelot?”

“Yes,” said Agatha shortly as more people started to gather around them. “Please get out of my way.”  
The man looked her up and down, incredulous. “I mean, I suppose I could believe it, but you don’t really look like a Queen--”

“I said get out of my way!” Agatha finally lost patience and shoved through the crowd. 

The man turned to Tedros. “She’s that Agatha?”

“The one who used to live there? Queen of Camelot? Yes.”

“Are you with her?”

Tedros smiled. “I’m her husband.”

The man frowned. Tedros realised his mistake slightly too late. 

“Doesn’t that make you the kid who attacked--”

“I’m her second husband,” blurted Tedros. “She, uh… killed the first dude for cash. Excuse me--” He ducked past him, chasing Agatha up the hill, the opposite direction to the procession of workers marching out of the battered front door, arms piled with random trinkets and furniture. 

Agatha had stopped, and as he hurried towards her, he realised she was arguing with one of the young men, not much older than a teenager, trying to pull a box out of his hands. 

“--that’s mine! This is my stuff!”

The kid looked skeptical. “Not sure about that, ma’am. We’ve had three ‘Agathas’ through here over the past few days, all claiming to be the real one--”

“I am the real one!” fumed Agatha.

“Ain’t been a scrap of evidence--”

Agatha waved her signet ring in his face. He squinted doubtfully at it. “I dunno,” he looked her over like the man at the bottom of the hill had done. “You’re not really dressed like a Queen.”

Agatha glared at him, furious. Tedros doesn’t know what either of them had expected, to be honest. Agatha only ever wore proper regalia if she was practically forced into it, and they were right in front of the distinctly scruffy house she’d grown up in. Did they expect her to go everywhere in her crown and coronation robes? Surely they must consider the fact that she wasn't particularly showy. These people really did have fabulous imaginations. 

“But--but this is my stuff! My mother’s stuff! That’s my house!”

The worker looked slightly guilty. “You’re very convincing, love, but we were warned ‘bout all these imposters--”  
Tedros cleared his throat.

Both of them turned to stare at him. 

“Agatha, you’ve got a letter with your name on it. About this whole thing. And you brought it with you.”

Agatha’s eyes widened and she whipped back to the man. “Right, I did! Um...” she paused to rifle in her endless pockets. 

Tedros, pleased with himself for having provided a proper solution for once, turned away to look out over the hill--

And was greeted with a horrified supervisor hurrying towards them, looking between Agatha and the young man with abject terror. Tedros stared at him for a second, confused as to why they should be so shocked when there were plenty who weren’t. Then he caught sight of the Ooty crest on his shoulder. Endless Woods native, while the man arguing with Agatha was clearly from Gavaldon. He must have been sent to supervise by the Everwood Society,  
He rushed up to the boy and yanked him a few feet away, pulling him by the collar. “Bernard,” he snarled. “Bernard, don’t be stupid, she’s the real deal!”

Bernard turned to him, eyes big. “She is? But how was I supposed to know that? You told us to ignore everyone claiming to be her! You sure?”

“Yes! I know what they look like! She even brought King Tedros, look--”

He swung Bernard around to face Tedros. Tedros looked politely away and found himself staring at a gravestone marked _loving father, husband and son. The bears may have mauled his body, but they will never maul his memory._

“But Mr. Baggott--” protested Bernard.

”No buts! I’ve seen them both arrive at state dinners a thousand times!” Mr Baggott dropped Bernard and shoved him towards the path. “Go and tell the other lads to leave the stuff and go home!” He rushed up to them, wringing his hands. “Your Majesty, we were under the impression you’d given permission for this to go ahead--” He turned to find the boy still hovering behind him. “ _What_ , Bernard?”

“Does the Queen lady want her mother’s stuff back? Cos I got a big box of it here. All witchy bottles and books and stuff.”

Everyone stared at him.

He proudly held the box out to Agatha. “They’re all untouched apart from that one on the left--one of our boys opened it on a dare and he was passed out for twenty-six hours!”

Tedros, anticipating a bad reaction, looked warily at Agatha--

“Thank you,” Agatha said simply, and took the box from him. 

“I’ll go and tell the other lads to bring the stuff back!” said Bernard, and bounded down the hill. 

Agatha eyed Mr. Baggott. “It’s not all still here though, is it?”

“No, your majesty,” muttered Baggott sheepishly. “A cartload left yesterday. It was mostly junk; dead plants and old clothes and things like that, but it was all from downstairs--”

“Wait,” Tedros cut in. “You said you thought she’d given permission. Where did you get that idea from?”

“Orders from the top, your majesty,” said the man helplessly. “They just said the Queen had approved it, so… well. We believed it. They sent some papers...” 

“Well that’s funny,” said Tedros coolly. “Because I received a letter from my daughter shortly before I left this morning, saying that the brand new Chair of the Society had no idea this was happening.”

Agatha turned to look at him, confused. “From Alex?”

“I didn’t get the chance to show you,” Tedros rifled in his pocket and produced the sticky envelope. Alex had clearly dropped it in some kind of juice. “It was addressed to both of us, but I realised a bit too late it was meant for you. It says that the new Head of the Society came to see them. She’s the new Good Deeds teacher this year. Alex asked her about it, and she seemed really surprised.”

Agatha frowned, taking the letter from Tedros to skim it. “That seems a lot of roles to take on at once...”

“You mean Hephzibah Fournier?” said Mr. Baggott to Tedros. “Oh, I’ve met her. Very sweet lady. Lovely family, the Fourniers.”

“So you don’t think she’s responsible?” asked Tedros.

“I can’t see why she would have wanted to go behind the back of the Queen of Camelot, your majesty,” said Mr. Baggott. “She can be a little…silly, but not that much. I wonder if--”

“I’ve heard enough.” snapped Agatha. “Whoever approved this nonsense, it was someone within the Society, the Head or not. I’ll write to them and tell them to back off, and I’d like you to pass the message on, too. For now, put back all the things you still have, and then you’ll send the workers home.”

“Of course, your majesty,” muttered Mr. Baggott, looking rather relieved she’d not had him dragged back to Ooty in chains.

Agatha handed Alex’s letter back to Tedros and marched towards the house, clearly fuming. 

“The faster the better, I think,” Tedros told the deflated supervisor, and went to catch Agatha.

“I thought you’d be mad at that Bernard kid, you know,” he told her as he held the creaky door open for her.

“He reminded me of Alex,” muttered Agatha. “Come on. I want to see what they didn’t manage to steal.”

* * *

While Gavaldon might have looked exactly the same, Graves Hill did not. The first thing that Tedros noticed upon entering was that the narrow, uneven corridor next to the broken stairs had been completely ransacked. Floorboards pulled up, cupboards yanked open and rifled through, hatches smashed open, curtains pulled down and doors taken off their hinges.

“They’ve destroyed it,” said Agatha faintly. 

“I saw them do this to Tintagel Castle when I was a kid,” muttered Tedros, eyeing the destruction.

“Never been there,” said Agatha, distracted.

“Well, yeah, it’s just a tourist attraction now. It used to be a second seat for my father, when he went on quests and things, and he used it to host summits, too. But after he died, the court sold it and the Society got their hands on it. They get rid of anything that they think is unbecoming of the history of Good, and replace it with something shiny and new if it looks even the slightest bit scruffy.”

“Might as well just replace the whole house, if that’s their philosophy,” sniffed Agatha, prodding a bit of loose timber. “Shall we see what horrors they unleashed in the kitchen?”

Tedros followed her down the corridor, avoiding the hole in the floor, and they emerged into a similarly wrecked kitchen.

Agatha shook her head, almost disbelievingly. “They’ve taken _everything_.”

“They kept the books,” said Tedros, indicating the still-full bookshelf.

“Oh, the books,” sneered Agatha, yanking one at random off the shelf and sending a cloud of dust billowing into the air and a few spiders scuttling for cover. “People are gonna care about the books I mutilated after I got back from Good, are they? They’re gonna care that I burned two of them and tore out the page in King Arthur with you on it, huh?” She looked at the cover, and flung _King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table_ onto the floor with a curse. 

Then she paused. “I never told you that,” she said, as Tedros stooped to pick up the book.

"I worked it out,” said Tedros, brushing the cover off. “I looked at this one whilst I was here, and I noticed the missing page. Your mother spun me some tale about it being second hand, but I didn’t believe it.”

“Oh,” Agatha frowned at the shelf. “You never said anything.”

“I figured ripping a page out of a book wasn’t really comparable to going off the deep end and stealing the Storian,” said Tedros, tucking the book under his arm. Marcus would probably be interested in an authentic School Master Era perspective of Camelot, from Gavaldon, no less. Of course, he’d have to save it for when he saw him next. Slightly disturbed by the thought that when they got home, they wouldn’t be greeted for the usual chaos of three kids trying to talk to them at once, he attempted to brush it off and held his free hand out to Agatha.

“Come on, they said they hadn’t been able to get upstairs. That probably means everything up there is still intact.”

* * *

Intact, but extremely dusty. 

Tedros stood awkwardly in the doorway, flipping through a few documents and watching mice scatter, as Agatha sat down on the grimy floorboards and started rifling through everything. This was a complete copy of how he remembered it--everything, down to a cloak thrown haphazardly over a chair, was perfectly preserved. 

Agatha was muttering to herself, digging around in the bottom of the wardrobe, looking for something. Tedros looked down at the documents in his hands-- clearly Callis hadn’t had a very organised filing system, if she’d had one at all. There were recipes-- lizard and onion soup, snail stew-- notes on various ailments that people in the village had, a shopping list, a receipt from a sweet shop, and--

For a split second, Tedros thought he was looking at a sketch of Alex and Agatha. But this toddler had dark hair, not Alex’s tufty blonde curls, and her mother’s hair was a shade or two lighter than Agatha’s, her face slightly sallower--

He was a generation too far. Not Agatha and Alex, but Callis and Agatha. There were plenty of fawning portraits of himself and his own mother, but this was the first record he’d ever seen of Agatha and hers. He flipped over the paper, looking for a suggestion of who might have drawn it, and found a faint pencil scrawling of the name Honora.

“I didn’t know Sophie’s stepmother could draw,” he said.

“Hmm?” Agatha clearly wasn’t listening, pulling some things from a hatch-- “Oh my god.”

“What?” Tedros tracked carefully through the dust to look over her shoulder-- 

It was a uniform from the School for Boys, faded and moth-eaten, stuffed in the back of a cupboard. And not just any uniform. Tedros followed Agatha’s eyes to the dark brown stain around the tear in the centre.

They’d never been able to get all of the blood out. 

There was a moment of heavy silence.

“Swap,” he said finally, holding the papers out to her. She handed it to him and took the paper, whilst Tedros squinted unenthusiastically at his old uniform. He didn’t like being reminded of this particular period of his life, and this was a pretty big reminder. He remembered that Callis had shoved it back here after giving up on trying to wash all the blood out, trying to hide any evidence that he might be there.

He heard Agatha’s breath catch when she got to the drawing. “I-- I’ve never seen this before.”

“Really?” Tedros looked down at her. Agatha shook her head, holding it carefully in shaking hands.

“There was so much she never told me. I didn’t even know she and Honora knew one another well.” She paused. “They were always friendly but… I think, when I thought about it after everything, I thought it was more a mutual dislike for Sophie’s mother.”

Tedros had never questioned her habit of calling Vanessa _Sophie’s_ mother, only. “Maybe it was founded on that,” he said. 

“Maybe,” murmured Agatha. “I’ll write to her when I get home.”

“...couldn’t you just go and see her now?”

“... I don’t think so.”

She went back to staring at the drawing. Tedros, who thought she had managed to slide back into the mindset that she was the town witch, rather than Queen of Camelot-- even though she clearly wasn’t disliked anymore-- decided not to argue. A letter might be more comprehensive, anyway. He glanced back at the uniform, wondering what he should do with it. He didn’t particularly want to display it anywhere. If he was honest, he’d like to burn it--  
It struck him, suddenly, how small it was. It wouldn’t fit him, or Agatha, or even Alex. It was for a teenager. “I was fifteen,” he said faintly. "Younger than all three of the kids."

Agatha looked up at him. “...I hadn’t thought of that,” she said. 

“It feels so young now,” said Tedros. “I thought I was so grown-up.”

“We _were_ too young,” said Agatha, standing and brushing off her breeches. “You weren’t even eighteen when the whole One True King business happened.”

“Alex is nineteen,” said Tedros. “We did everything when we were younger than Alex.” Alex could have gone to the School when she was fourteen-- the age bracket for first years was fourteen to sixteen. But she had been fifteen going on sixteen, and the twins were just sixteen. Tedros hadn’t been able to stomach the idea of sending them any earlier.

He looked helplessly over at Agatha. “They’ll be okay, won’t they?”

He knew she’d know who he meant. 

“Alex was," said Agatha calmly, “After that Trial.”

“After the Trial," muttered Tedros, “But she can just bulldoze her way through anything happily enough. Marcus is so prickly, and Ros…”

“Have a little faith in them,” said Agatha. “I’m not saying they’re not going to run into problems, but I think they’ll deal with them a lot better than we did.” She kissed his cheek and made for the doorway.

“At least wait for the first set of letters before you start panicking. Come on. Let’s go see how disgusting the bathroom is.”

* * *

It took them at least two hours to gather the things Agatha wanted to keep. The papers, the book, some of Callis’s old clothes, a terribly-sewn plush cat to rival Tedros’s magnum opus Maurice the Platypus, and other random trinkets, including several things Agatha thought Ros might find useful. 

Tedros spent at least half an hour poking around in Callis’s store of dried herbs--remarkably well preserved--wondering if his mother would be interested in any of them, when he realised he hadn’t seen Agatha for a while. Last he’d seen, she’d had wandered out the back to see if there was anything left of the garden. Frowning, he shoved some dried thyme into the box and jumped the broken step to the back garden. The wind had picked up, and it was cold now.

He found her in front of a grave. Not unusual for a graveyard, but there weren’t any other tombstones around the back of the house, so whose--

Oh.

“I didn’t know they’d buried her,” Tedros said. 

“Neither did I,” Agatha said coldly. She was shaking, but Tedros didn’t think it was because of the wind. “They didn’t bother to inform me.” 

For a second, she sounded exactly like Ros. Tedros looked down at the inscription again.

_Callis of Netherwood._   
_Died aged 39. Served Gavaldon dutifully as the town doctor for many years._

Cold and clinical. No cause of death. Clearly _murdered by her neighbours_ was too much for the virtuous people of Gavaldon to admit. Also, there was no mention of--

“They didn’t even put it with the rest,” said Agatha, voice trembling. All of the anger she’d had seconds ago seemed to have drained out of her. “And then didn’t even say she was my--”

She started to cry. 

Tedros pulled her to him silently, and let her lean against his chest as she sobbed. He couldn’t take his eyes from the inscription.

How could no one have bothered to tell her that her mother had a grave? She’d been back more than once, and never even knew it existed. Clearly, Sophie didn’t know either, else she would have told her. But Bogden and Nicola both would have still been in Gavaldon when it happened, so they might know. He should ask them.

In a way, he’s almost thankful for the meddling Everwood Society-- without their nonsense, they might never have found this. 

_But at the same time_ , he thought, looking back at the ruined house, _it seems that Rosalind may have a point about Evers._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realised a bit too late that I'm not sure if graves hill even HAD a second floor, but it did in the illustration so. eh.  
> tagatha chapter! Idk whether to say sorry that there's no OCs. Probably not tbh. You're welcome ig?  
> Speaking of being welcome, guess what the next chapter is????  
> (it's the welcoming. haha.)


	8. what is this, a charity shop romance novel?

“I hate sitting at the front,” mumbled Chinhae as they took their seats in the Theatre of Tales. 

“Unfortunately, Chae, it’s part of the  _ Raiden’s In A Wheelchair, Sorry  _ exclusive package,” drawled Raiden, parking himself beside them. “This is perk number 343, which is  _ Raiden’s chair doesn’t fit in any of the other pews, so we have to sit in exposed seats.” _

“Sorry,” muttered Chinhae, looking rather abashed. “I just--”

“Don’t want to stand out on the first day. I know, It’s fine.” Raiden gazed around the Theatre. “You don’t  _ have  _ to sit with me, you know. I’m sure you’d rather have more fashionable lackeys.”

“But I want to sit with you,” said Chinhae, confused. “We’re friends.”

“Aww,” Raiden patted his cheek. “Thank you, dear. Looking for someone, Marcus?”

Marcus, who had only been half paying attention, jumped. “Oh, I was just-- yes, actually, I was looking for Ros.”

“Is she not here yet?” Raiden turned in his chair to peer across at the Never side. 

Marcus shook his head, keeping an eye on the students filtering through the doors. To be fair, it wasn’t as if the hall was particularly busy, yet--they were early-- but he’d prefer to know that she’d gotten here safely. Knowing her, though, she was probably going to be late on purpose for the drama of it. 

“Is she the only Never we know of?” asked Chinhae, eyeing the students clad in black leather, presumably for someone else he recognised. 

“No, she’s not,” said Raiden . His roommates turned to him in surprise. “I believe you’ll recognise this lady, Chae--” Without missing a beat, his arm shot out and snagged the sleeve of a Nevergirl.

“Passing by without saying hello, Sammy?” he asked pleasantly.

The girl turned towards them, exposing herself as tall and muscular, with a short slashed line of dark hair and brown skin dotted with old scars. “Well, well,” she said with an impressively mocking smile. “Look who scraped together enough morals to get onto the Ever side. Anyway, Akiyama, you couldn’t think I’d have been so rude. I just happened not to notice you. Compared to the rest of the hunks here, you’re kinda…lacking.” She winked at Chinhae, who, surprisingly, smiled back.

“Aww,” said Raiden. “I’m sure I’ll cry myself to sleep over that one tonight. You have such a way with words. Certainly better than your shooting.” He turned to his roommate. “This is the lovely Samiya--”

“Sam.”

“Sorry, _ Sam _ Balakrishnan. She and I have had a  _ little _ tiff--”

“I broke his five year winning streak in Flintlock at the Maidenvale Shooting Tournament.” interrupted Sam. “And he broke mine in Crossbow. And now neither of us can get it back.”

Raiden patted her elbow. “You’d think she was a gracious loser, wouldn’t you? Of course, she’s a dirty liar who left out the fact that  _ I  _ was the overall winner last year, but that’s just a trifling detail, isn’t it?  _ Chae  _ knows the truth, he’s been to watch every year.”

“All true,” muttered Chinhae. His knife-edge jaw was twitching slightly--he was trying not to laugh. Marcus raised his eyebrows at him, and Chinhae lowered his voice; “They’ve had this going on for  _ years,  _ now. Every year they both turn up, can’t beat one another, one of them wins overall, and then they fight a lot. It’s half the entertainment.”

“--It’s got nothing to do with that, Akiyama,” Sam was saying sweetly. “And it’s got  _ everything _ to do with the fact that you’re a smug git.”

People in the pews and the aisle around them were starting to pay attention, now. Marcus could hear several people laughing. It appeared that this feud was not only known to Chinhae. 

“You’re too kind,” yawned Raiden. “Stolen anything, yet?”

“Nothing as good as your grandmother’s vase.”

“... you stole from Akiyama Emi?” Marcus asked apprehensively. He was having visions of her cane being cracked across his shins. Or possibly his knuckles.

“She didn’t know anything about it,” scoffed Sam. “I got in through--”

“Through my bedroom window,” interrupted Raiden loudly. “Which was  _ incredibly _ amoral, considering I can’t even run anywhere--”

“Yeah, because he was  _ so _ helpless that he got off three gunshots and threw the cat at me,” drawled Sam. “Barely got out of there alive. The only thing I did on purpose was make sure his grandma was working late, so I wouldn't get a cane to the head.”

“You took three different vases and stole a chicken leg from the kitchen!”

“I thought you said Emi hated the vases anyway?”

“That’s not the  _ point _ , dear.”

“Well then, Akiyama, in your superior wisdom, mind telling us what the point  _ is--?” _

They were interrupted by a commotion behind them. Craning his neck, Marcus turned, peering over everyone else’s heads to see what was going on. Further up the aisle, a gangly, blond Everboy with pointed ears and green-tinted skin was arguing with a pretty, dark-skinned Evergirl sat down in the pews. In his clenched fist was a slightly wilting rose.

Raiden groaned. “She  _ said  _ she was afraid of this happening _ \--” _

“What?” demanded Sam. “Who’s that?”

“I met her earlier, her name’s Amelie,” sighed Raiden. “And she  _ specifically _ said that she was worried about being offered roses by stupid Everboys.”

Marcus stared, confused. “I thought we didn’t do the rose thing, anymore?”

“A couple of idiots have a crack at it every year,” said Raiden. “Look, there’s more standing behind him.”

“Looks like she’s refusing him,” said Chinhae.

“I’d refuse him too,” snorted Sam. “His legs are too long for his body.”

“Yeah, you prefer shorter guys, don’t you, Sammy?”

“No. Taller blokes are hot. This guy just looks like a giraffe.”

Marcus thought that Raiden looked rather disgruntled as he turned back to watch. 

“Should we intervene?” asked Chinhae worriedly. 

“I’ll come with you, if you like, Princey,” offered Sam, cracking her knuckles. “I’ve been itching to knock some Everboys flat on their arses.”

Marcus looked warily at Raiden for input, who shrugged at him.

Just as Chinhae and Marcus started to rise, a long, white hand adorned with several rings shot between Amelie and the boy and snatched the rose from his hand. 

“Well now,” said Rosalind, in the airy, mocking tone she liked to use. “This is no way to treat a lady.”

For once, Marcus had to admit that Rosalind’s flair for the dramatic might be useful. 

* * *

“To be fair, they’re all pretty fit,” said Jackson. “But he’s  _ exceptional.” _

Jade wasn’t quite sure how she’d managed to end up discussing which Everboys were good-looking with a farm boy from Bremen, but she’d take it. Jackson was the first person she’d spoken to thus far--besides her roommate, Amelie, who was sweet-natured and super-enthusiastic about pretty much everything. She’d hopped up and down on the spot with excitement when Jade had reluctantly admitted that yes, she was, as Amelie had put it, a  _ “real, actual Princess”.  _ Then Amelie had eagerly tried to share everything from perfume to jewellery to fruit snacks as they’d unpacked. But they’d been split up in the fray on the way to the Theatre of the Tales, and Jade now found herself sitting next to the giant, surprisingly affable Jackson. He’d introduced himself brightly and immediately started asking her desperately about his chances with a boy on the front row. Jade got the impression he was trying to find something to talk about, and since she’d not had the heart to tell him she didn’t really care about boys yet (given they were less than a day in) he’d barrelled ahead;

“Someone upstairs  _ really  _ took their time on him,” he said solemnly. “But he’d probably never even  _ look  _ at me.”

Jade finally stopped staring at a carving of Queen Agatha hitting an executioner with a bag and followed his gaze--

Oh.  _ That’s _ who he meant.

“Okay, yeah, I get that,” she admitted, gazing at the boy in profile, in the middle of the pew. She recognised  _ him. _

Though Jade couldn’t fault Jackson’s admiration, she wasn’t about to commit to idol worship of the son of her father’s biggest rival. He was just a boy. A rich, handsome, virtuous boy that Jade didn’t have a chance with, so she wasn’t going to waste her time trying. Jackson, however, was very pretty and excessively charismatic, and Jade didn’t think he’d be rejected just because he’s not royalty. 

“But he won’t  _ like  _ me,” moped Jackson.

“Well, only one of his parents is originally royal, so I don’t think there’s a whole lot of snobbery going on,” offered Jade, trying to stop him looking so dismal. “Cheer up, it’s only the first day. You’ve not spoken to him yet, have you?”

“Well,  _ no, _ but still,” sighed Jackson. “He’s so clever! And I’m so… me,” he sighed again. 

“Fame, fortune, good skin. Imagine it."

“I hear skincare's on the curriculum," said Jade dryly. Jackson barely registered the tone. 

"He doesn't need it. Won't need hairdressing, either. I love curls." 

...What? Who was Jackson talking about? He didn’t have--

A suspicion struck Jade, suddenly. "Wait. Who are you talking about?" 

He turned to her, spell broken. "Marcus of Camelot. Who are  _ you _ talking about?" 

Jade’s gaze swung across the other boys on the pew, three of whom were looking at a Nevergirl standing nearby--ah,  _ that  _ was Marcus of Camelot. She'd seen portraits and the odd photograph. Bespectacled, with high cheekbones, curly black hair and a pale complexion. He was cute, sure, but he had a little bit of an overbite (not that Jade could judge, with her own front teeth) and a stern expression. 

"... _ I _ was talking about Chinhae of Avalon Towers," she said, eyes darting back to the chiselled face next to Marcus. "But you do you."

“Wow,  _ basic.”  _ said Jackson. 

“ _ Hey _ !” 

“Sorry, but everyone and their mother thinks he's gorgeous. You've got a hard battle to fight to get a ring on that imperial finger, though I suppose you’re a Princess, so--”

“Hiya, Jade! I found you!” Amelie dropped down into the pew next to her, beaming, and immediately turned to Jackson.  “Ooh, hello again, Jackson! What are we talking about, Princesses? Oh, did you know Jade is an  _ actual  _ princess? Like, already?”

“Yep!” said Jackson brightly. “Sorry I didn’t say anything about that, Jade. I recognised you, but I figured since you were so chill, maybe there was different ways of going about stuff in Jaunt Jolie, so I kept quiet--”

"YOU’RE JADE OF JAUNT JOLIE?" shrieked Amelie.

Jade cringed. She’d left her home country out of her introduction, in the hope that Amelie would make the connection herself.  _ Quietly _ .

The people around them turned to stare. Jade resisted the urge to leap to her feet and run for the hills, and flapped her hands emphatically at Amelie, trying to get her to be quieter. “Shush! Amelie, please, it’s not that big a deal--”

Amelie leaned forward, eyes so wide they threatened to fall out.  _ "I'm rooming with Jade of Jaunt Jolie?”  _ she whispered. _ “ _ The Princess everyone thinks is either shy, ill, or  _ dead _ ?" 

"Oh-hh, is that what they say in Nupur Lala? Haha, that’s… fun..." Jade looked frantically around, shooting forced smiles at the people gawking at her.

"I didn’t realise!” cried Amelie. “Oh, I feel like such a bad roommate! I didn’t even think-- I mean, the Woods are endless, after all, so I guess I just assumed you were someone else… there’s another Princess Jade in Kingdom Kyrigos... oh no, why did I say that people think you’re dead, I didn’t upset you, did I--?”

"It’s fine! It’s fine!” insisted Jade desperately, unsure as to why she was panicking. “I don’t care! I just don’t get out much--!” she frowned. “Um, isn’t Jade of Kingdom Kyrigos an old lady? I swear she’s like, seventy or something--”

"You're an urban myth," Jackson cut in solemnly, before Amelie could reply. "When people at home say something unlikely, one saying in response is  _ yeah, and Jade of Jaunt Jolie's still alive _ . There's a huge conspiracy that they have a body double for you at events."

Jade turned to Amelie for confirmation, and received a guilty nod. "...Well, go tell the Endless Woods rumour mill my heart hasn't given out yet,” Jade said, somewhere between incredulous, amused and annoyed. At the very least, she was glad most people had looked away again. "Trust me, I'll be the first to know when it does."

Jackson cackled, losing all solemnity in a second. “I like you!” he prodded her in the side. “I hope all the royalty I meet are like you!”

An idea came to Jade, and she smiled. “Well, I’ve met Marcus once before, and he’s a bit serious, but--”

It was Jackson’s turn to look like he’d been hit. “ _ Oh _ , you know Marcus--” he looked around as if searching for somewhere to hide, then seemed to assert himself and turned back. “ _ Can you introduce me?” _

Jade grinned. “I only met him  _ once,  _ when we were ten, but I imagine I could try.”

Amelie, who had been busy recomposing herself, suddenly looked around. “Marcus of Camelot? Oh yes, he and Chinhae of Avalon Towers are sitting there at the front, aren’t they?”

“How come you’re so calm about  _ them _ ?” said Jade, amused.

“Oh, don’t, I was just surprised by you!” begged Amelie, waving a hand at her. 

Jackson was mumbling; 

“I’ve had a little bit of a crush since I saw him in my sister’s  _ Teen Woods,  _ but I never thought I’d actually… you know. Meet him…”

Jade patted his back. “I think everyone  _ else _ is having that crisis over Chinhae, you know.”

“Including  _ you.” _

“I met him the same time I met Marcus,” said Jade, trying to sound casual but pretty sure she was failing. “I’ve got a head start.”

Of course, he probably didn’t remember her. She  _ hoped  _ he didn’t, anyhow-- the only interaction she’d had with him had been terse and formal, and even though she’d been young, the tension between their parents had been obvious. Jade’s father absolutely hated the royal family of Avalon Towers, and they hated him right back. Adrian’s face pinched and soured whenever he heard the name of the Empress Eunha, who had humiliated him somewhere back in the mists of time, and never budged in her negotiations. His distaste had, therefore, extended to her son _. "Vain, vapid pretty boy," _ he called him.  _ "Weak. Wastes his time on charity for thieves and layabouts, all to improve his own reputation."  _

Jade generally made a point of not listening to her father's opinions on people, but she was a little worried as to how she’d been depicted over in Avalon Towers. Face of an angel or not, she’d prefer Prince Chinhae not to hate her just because she unfortunately shared genes with King Adrian of Jaunt Jolie. 

Of course, to his  _ own  _ people, and to a large swathe of the other Ever kingdoms, Adrian could do no wrong, but--

Raised voices cut into her brooding, and she turned, surprised, to find Amelie speaking to a boy standing next to their pew. He was holding a slightly crushed rose out to her, and she was clearly distressed. 

“It’s no big deal, sweetheart, don’t try and be modest about it, you can have it--”

“No, really, thank you, but I really must refuse--”

Jade and Jackson exchanged panicked glances, and Jade leaned across to interrupt. “Hey, mate? She said no, so you should probably just back off, yeah?”

He received a disdainful look in response. “You speak for her, do you?”

“Well, no, but it’s pretty easy to tell that she’s not interested--”

“Look, love, just stay outta it, yeah?” he thrust the rose towards Amelie again and tried for what he clearly thought was a winning smile. Amelie was gripping Jade’s skirt and leaning as far away from him as she could get.

“Really, I’m very flattered, but I’m not really… interested…” her voice was getting quieter as she lost confidence and more and more people turned to stare. Jade, suddenly worried that she was going to just accept it, even though she clearly didn’t want to, opened her mouth again--

A hand shot in-between Amelie and her unwanted suitor, snatching the rose. 

Jade whirled and was met with the smirking face of Princess Rosalind. 

“Well now,” said Rosalind, in a low, silky tone. “This is no way to treat a lady.”

She shook her head, eyeing the boy from under the veiled hat the Nevergirls wore. “And here I thought that Princes were supposed to listen to Princesses.”

* * *

_ "It has come to my attention," said King Adrian during his notices at breakfast, "That there has been a major upset in Camelot."  _

_ The people at the other tables looked up expectantly; farmers, teachers, and all the others invited to Adrian's weekly Breakfast For The People, wherein he had breakfast With The People and pretended to care about what The People liked on toast and what new family drama The People had this week, and listened to The People's Opinions on how he ran the kingdom. _

_ Jade frowned. She hadn't heard anything--but, then again, she’d been late this morning, and hadn’t had time to read any letters or papers. _

_ "It appears," said Adrian, taking on the tone of one beside the sickbed of a close friend, "That when the school admissions letters arrived yesterday, Prince Marcus was admitted into Good…and Princess Rosalind into Evil." _

_ A gasp rose from the tables. Jade's eyebrows shot up. _

_ Rosalind had never exactly given Jade an Ever-y vibe--the few times she'd met her, she'd been quiet and almost calculating. But she was beautiful, clever, and the daughter of the most famous Ever couple in the Woods. The idea that she actually was a Never had been out of the question. _

_ Until now, apparently. _

_ "I can't imagine how hard this must be for King Tedros," Said Adrian loudly over the frantic chatter, "And I feel terribly sorry for Rosalind's poor mother and brother." _

**_I am gleefully imagining how hard this must be for Tedros and I really hope it gets harder. I didn't give Agatha and Marcus a thought until now._ ** _ Jade translated to herself. _

_ "Still," said Adrian firmly, "While we do not know how this came about, we must still treat Princess Rosalind with respect, despite her new Evil status. She is still a Princess and the daughter of our close allies. We should show compassion and willingness to compromise, even though, naturally, we scorn all types of corruption and cruelty." _

**_I am eagerly awaiting the first opportunity to heavily imply she’s a heartless witch to her father’s face._ **

_ He turned expectantly to his children. "Should you encounter Rosalind at summits, I expect you to be just as gracious as ever, if a little on your guard." _

_ Jade didn’t change her expression, but Adam inclined his head and Emelina smiled. "Of course, father. Although I'm a little frightened at the thought, I will do my best to stand up to her." _

_ Jade resisted the urge to roll her eyes. As if her scheming little sister was actually afraid of Rosalind. She’d just seen an opportunity to get revenge for when Rosalind had “accidentally” shoved her into a pond when she was seven.  _

_ "Naturally, father," murmured Adam. _

_ "Yeah," said Jade, pouring herself more juice. "I'll keep an eye out for her when I’m at Good." _

_ Adrian's eyes widened.  _

_ "Jade! So modest! You didn't tell me that you were accepted to Good? How wonderful!" _

_ There was a round of enthusiastic applause. Jade smiled weakly. She hadn't been withholding the information, exactly; it was just that her father held her to a strict 'only speak when spoken to' policy, and he hadn’t bothered to ask. He probably hadn’t even known she’d applied. _

_ Her mother leaned over and squeezed her arm, smiling at her. Jade tried to look more enthusiastic, but it was hard, given Adrian was still talking; _

_ "Of course, Jade, you may wish to try and look after her brother. I do worry that Marcus may now be the subject of his sister's wrath--" _

_ Jade allowed herself a slight sigh as he turned back to The People.  _ **_We end this Jade-centered broadcast prematurely, to go back to my Camelot Sucks agenda._ **

* * *

Now, though, Jade was finding it hard to dislike Rosalind as she leaned against their pew, gazing coolly at the glaring Everboy.

“I don’t think I asked for your opinion, witch,” he snapped.

“I don’t think you asked for  _ anyone’s _ ,” said Rosalind, straightening the crushed leaves out. 

“You certainly didn’t seem to be asking for this lady’s. While this is a very pretty rose, she made it rather clear she didn’t want it. Perhaps I’ll keep it.”

The boy opened his mouth--

“ _ All students please take their seats,”  _ echoed a magically amplified voice. “ _ The Welcoming is about to begin.” _

“Ah, how convenient,” Rosalind straightened up and waved at the boys, who were begrudgingly backing away. “Bye, now. Can’t have fraternisation, can we?”

They glared, bumping into one another as they hustled away.

Amelie giggled. People turned away from watching the faculty mounting the stage to stare at her. She put her hand over her mouth. 

“I presume you don’t want this?” Rosalind asked her, wafting the rose around like a conductor’s baton.

“I…” Amelie seemed to teeter on the edge of saying something. “Um, no thank you. You can keep it.”

“Why thank you, lovely. Very pretty. It suits me.” She turned and sauntered off to the Never side with barely a glance at anyone else. Jade found herself somewhat relieved. She wasn’t confident in  _ Rosalind’s _ ability to override a dislike for Adrian, even if she was hoping Chinhae would. He was known for being good-natured. Rosalind was… less so.

And she didn’t think she wanted to be disliked by Rosalind. 

* * *

Marcus hadn’t expected the Welcoming to be very interesting. It was mostly for the Readers’ benefit, really; everyone else had been aware of the rules and conventions and how the School worked for years, unless they were the first person in several generations to come here, or just really didn’t pay attention.

However, this year was different.

He frowned at the extra people at the back of the stage, none of whom were dressed in the style of the teachers. If he were to guess, he’d pin them as the governors-- a group of doddering old people all wearing the swan badge, and gazing at the chattering mass of students with the wariness of people who didn’t actually interact with children all that often.

They’d remained still and silent whilst Sophie and Anemone had talked through the rules and made introductions, and Marcus hadn’t found anything amiss in either of their speeches, until--

“Now,” said Anemone brightly. “I just need to fill you Evers in on some changes that we’ll be making to the School for Good this year--nothing bad, nothing bad!” she added hastily in response to the dubious murmurs that swept the Ever pews. “So, as you may know, the set of first years who came before you faced some…difficulties. The leadership wasn’t as strong as it could have been under Dean Cromwell, and as a result there were many stressful situations. I think people cried quite a lot, that year...”

Marcus and Raiden exchanged significant looks. A couple of people laughed, but someone at the back of the stage coughed, and Anemone rushed on;

“Well, since I’ve been Dean, I’ve been doing my very best to ensure that our new batch of first years will have a much more stable, settled, first year,” she clasped her hands, beaming. “So, I’m  _ very _ happy to announce that from this year onwards, the Everwood Society will be far more involved with the running of the School for Good! We have added ten members of the Society to our Board of Governors--” she indicated the group at the back-- “and here to explain more is Professor Hephzibah Fournier, the head of the Society, and your new Good Deeds teacher--”

Marcus was no longer listening. He turned around to face the Never pews, and, as he’d expected, immediately met Rosalind’s gaze. 

Her face would have looked mostly impassive to anyone else, but Marcus could see the wrathful look in her eye even with the distance between them.

First their mother’s house, now the School…

Marcus turned back, mind racing, as Professor Fournier beamed at them, saying something about  _ Ever traditions… more funding for the School facilities… Trial… more fun… not as scary as it used to be, not at all… co-operation… no need for the Nevers to worry… new rules… Halfway Bridge… _

He needed to write to his mother. There was no proof this was a bad thing, obviously, but there was also no proof it was good, and he’d never laboured under the impression that his parents liked the Society. They’d always attempted to conceal their dislike, but Agatha had never been as good at it as Tedros…there must be a reason. He’d always been dismissive, assuming it was his mother railing against their snobbery, and maybe it was, but maybe it wasn’t at all. Maybe there was an iron-clad reason. Why did he never ask about these things?

He should probably write to Alex, as well, and--

He refocused, suddenly, and realised that he was looking across the pew in Raiden’s direction. What had caught his attention? For something had, and--

He looked into Raiden’s face, and blinked, startled. Raiden looked just as furious as Rosalind. Chinhae was as calm as ever, but Raiden was glaring up at the stage…

Marcus tuned back in, just in time to hear;

“-- I hope we’ll all be able to work together to great benefit this year!”

The Nevers booed. Ros scowled, and Sam snorted, digging something out of her nails. 

Fournier didn’t look flustered. She smiled at them, bowed, and ceded the stage to a bad-tempered Castor and Pollux. 

Looking around at the confused, apprehensive, and downright repelled expressions of the Evers around him, Marcus didn’t think she’d been received any better by her target audience.

* * *

“No one looked very happy, did they?” said Amelie worriedly as they filed out of the Theatre.

“No,” Jade admitted. She didn’t have any particular reason to dislike the Everwood Society, other than the fact that they were snobs, but she hadn’t missed the looks on everyone’s faces. “Jackson?”

“Dunno anything about them, but Professor Fournier seemed nice enough,” shrugged Jackson. “She's the new head of the Society, did they say?”

“Yes, she was appointed in the autumn, I think,” Amelie said. 

“Being a teacher  _ and  _ running the Society seems a lot to handle,” mused Jade. “Wonder if she’ll stay long-term.”

“There’s no obligation to, anymore,” said Amelie. “Not with the new School Master. Though I’ve heard that Professor Anemone wants to fulfil what she originally signed up for, and teach for life. She’s a very dedicated lady.”

The Nevers passed them in a wave of black and green leather, Rosalind sauntering at the back with another girl, swinging her pilfered rose and ignoring her classmates staring at her.

Just as they went to turn the corner, she glanced over her shoulder. Jade didn’t know who she was looking for--maybe her brother?-- but she got the uncomfortable impression that the people who had actually been subject to the stare were  _ them-- _

“Everyone at home was  _ so  _ shocked when she was admitted to Evil,” said Jackson, watching Ros as well. “This old lady ran out into the road and started shouting about it, so the entire village knew pretty much immediately.”

“My father announced it at breakfast, the morning after the news came out,” sighed Jade. “I think most people in the kingdom watched the Spellcast playback, but no one in the palace had seen it. Same reaction. Gasps, disbelief, everything. I heard that in Camelot, people passed out.”

“They didn’t know?” asked Amelie, surprised. 

Jade blinked.“Well, I don’t think so. The  _ Royal Rot _ went mad, churning out all sorts of headlines. People went to the palace and everything. A lot of outrage.”

“Oh,” Amelie frowned thoughtfully. “I thought people suspected.”

Jackson stretched, considering the students retreating back to Evil. “Maybe the Nevers did? I dunno. Well, it’s happened now, and we’ve all just gotta hope she won’t find a bone to pick with us, huh?” He laughed. “I’m gonna go and catch up with my roommates. Catch ya later, ladies!”

He waved and jogged off. Amelie beamed after him.

“Isn’t he nice? I hope he’s in our classes.”

“Yeah, he’s cool,” said Jade cheerfully, secretly relieved that she now had two friendly faces who hadn’t attempted to beat her up for being Adrian’s daughter, even if one had shouted it to the general vicinity and the other had solemnly told her she was supposed to be dead. 

Perhaps she hadn’t needed to worry after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have now read OTK-- does it ruin this fic? eh. not massively. no more than I really expected, but it does mean it'll now be pulling away from canon a little more. but whatever lmao I wasn't expecting some of it to become canon anyway, I just hoped. OH WELL. my fic my rules, just roll w it yeah? the Really bad thing that I thought would really ruin this didn't happen, so it's all good.   
> anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! I won't be incorporating any sort of spoilers apart from very minor ones (like stupid jokes) into this for a while, so no worries. lessons commence next time!


	9. harold, they're lesbians

“Oh, good,” said Ros from beneath a blue willow as Marcus approached the flag marked with a 4. “I was worried you’d died in Swordplay.”

“Ha, ha,” Marcus said flatly, casting an eye over the rest of the students milling around under the flag. He was early, but they were all definitely Evers. “...are you the only Never in this group?”

“No,” said Ros, offering him some mint she’d pulled from a bush. “I’m just punctual. Everyone else is too busy trying to terrorise a hedgehog they found.”

Marcus crushed it between his fingers, frowning at her. Ros raised her eyebrows innocently at him. 

“What?”

“Haven’t you just had Uglification? I heard some Nevers talking about it, but you look very… normal.”

Rosalind smirked. “Funny you should mention that… but you go first. How were your first few days?”

Marcus knew this was Rosalind’s attempt at making sure he wasn’t utterly bereft with homesickness and despair. It seemed odd that she hadn’t had the chance to ask, yet. Technically, they could have approached each other at lunch any of the past few days, but it seemed that Evers stuck with Evers and Nevers stuck with Nevers. Alex had assured him that people started crossing over after the first few weeks, and Raiden had reported the same claim from Sora, so it hopefully wouldn’t last much longer. 

In all honesty, he was feeling better than he’d expected. The constant companionship of Raiden and Chinhae had staved off most of the loneliness he’d been expecting, and the lessons had been more of a mixed bag than a total mess.

He shrugged. “Haven’t had everything yet, but History is good--”

“Hort’s a trash teacher,” said Rosalind, cramming some more leaves in her mouth. Marcus sighed.

“Yes, he’s not great, but the content is interesting enough.”

“Goes into more detail than our tutors ever did,” said Ros.

“Wonder why,” muttered Marcus, knowing full well that Rosalind and Alex between them had been responsible for most of their tutor’s early resignations. 

“And Swordplay?” prodded Rosalind. “Wasn’t that the other day?”

Marcus made a non-committal noise. “It was just all these different stations to try and test our proficiency. Espada sat in his chair and shouted at us, until he had a nap halfway through. I did decently in the knife work and shooting, and well in the tactical section. Average to bad with everything else.”

“How about your opponents?”

“...my _classmates_ , Ros? We’re not fighting anyone yet.”

“Whatever.”

“I don’t know…” Marcus thought about it briefly. “Raiden’s a really good shot, with both crossbow and flintlock.”

“So his best buddy Sam has been telling me.” 

“You know Sam?” 

“She’s my roommate,” said Ros. “She’s over with Raiden, look.”

Marcus followed her gaze and, sure enough, Sam and Raiden were visible under group 5’s banner, clearly arguing about something. Chinhae stood next to them, looking resigned. Whoever had put Sam and Raiden in the same group had made a severe miscalculation. They clearly hated one another.

Shaking his head, he turned back to Ros. “Well, Chae’s good at everything, but we know that’s because Jun had him trained in everything, in case he got kidnapped.”

“Adds up,” snorted Ros. “Anyone else?”

Marcus squinted, trying to think. Most people had either been utterly terrible or fairly decent. 

“Er, there was a boy who’s a really good swordsman and wrestler. Really strong. Jackson of Bremen, I think?”  
He only really remembered Jackson because he’d tripped over the mat leaving the wrestling ring and landed right at Marcus’s feet, for which he’d been extremely over-apologetic and had nearly fallen over again, trying to back off. And standing behind him, trying not to laugh, had been--

“Oh!” he said. “Jade of Jaunt Jolie was really good with knives--”

Rosalind’s eyes narrowed immediately.

“ _Princess_ Jade? _Adrian’s_ daughter Jade?”

“You shouldn’t judge people by their parents,” Marcus said sternly, even though he’d been harbouring the same misgivings. Jade hadn’t seemed much like her father, but he’d yet to properly interact with her. 

Speaking of Jackson and Jade--

“Hi Marcus!” Jackson came bounding over, Jade on his heels. “We’re in the same Forest Group!”

“Yes,” said Marcus, wondering why this needed pointing out. “We are.”

“Jade said she knew you, so we came to say hi!” continued Jackson brightly. “Right, Jade?”  
Jade looked uncomfortable.

“Um, yeah, we’ve met a few times, at summits and things… it’s nice to see you again.” She tried for a smile. Marcus returned it. He hadn’t spoken to Jade often, but she’d often been the person he stood in uncertain companionship in the corner of parties with, even if they didn’t actually talk. He hadn’t seen her since the Ever-Never Peace Ball a few years ago, though. 

Rosalind, leaning against her tree, did not smile. Marcus sighed internally. Alex and Ros both had an immediate defence instinct when it came to Tedros, only Alex’s was a reaction to insults, and Rosalind’s was an immortal grudge against anyone who’d ever wronged him, ever. It was completely impractical and included the vast majority of the Endless Woods leaders, King Adrian above all--

“Jade! Jackson--oh, my. Um, hello.”

Marcus turned to see the girl from the rose debacle at the Welcoming come to a halt beside them, suddenly looking rather startled. 

“Amelie!” Jade looked relieved to suddenly have something to break the awkward silence. “This is my roommate, guys. Amelie, this is-- oh, well, I suppose you already know who these two are.”

“... oh, yes!” Amelie turned away from Rosalind to smile at Marcus. “Yes, I…” she trailed off, glancing back at Rosalind. “I never thanked you for--”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” interrupted Rosalind, uncharacteristically gracious. “It would have made things worse if you’d said anything. Besides, I like causing a disturbance or three.”

She smiled at her.

“Isn’t that the truth,” muttered Marcus. 

“Shut up, Mark,” said Ros easily. 

“Alright, break up the mother’s meeting!”

Marcus turned to see a dryad with blue-bark skin glaring at them from beside the flag.

“My name is Arethusa, I’m your forest group instructor,” she said flatly, watching them shuffle over to join the rest of the group. “This everyone? ‘Cause if it’s not, we’re startin’ without them.”

* * *

Once it was verified that they were, in fact, all there, Arethusa folded her burly arms and surveyed them all critically. “Your other lessons will have started easy. We ain’t doing that here, ‘cause survivin’ in the Woods ain’t easy. We’re throwin’ you in at the deep end, and if you don’t know how to swim, that’s your problem.”

Behind Marcus, Jackson whispered worriedly to Jade; 

“I can’t swim.”

“It’s a metaphor,” reassured Jade. 

“Oh.”

Aruthesa shot them a scornful look and turned to a pile of baskets by her feet.   
“Today’s task is real simple. You each get a basket, and you’re gonna go into the woods to try and collect the most items possible, whilst avoiding falling into any traps. It’s a test of practicality. The items are rabbits.” She leaned down and scooped a baby bunny out of the top basket. 

Marcus heard Rosalind scoff, but beside her, Amelie was delighted. 

“Oh, look at the little _ears_!” she grabbed Ros’s arm, beaming. “Aren’t they sweet, Rosalind?! They’re vegetarians like me, too--”

Rosalind blinked at her. “Ah… yes. Charming.”

Marcus raised his eyebrows at this sudden change of opinion, but was distracted by Jade.

“Isn’t that really unhelpful, using live rabbits?” she pointed out. “Won’t they run away? Or jump out of the baskets?”

“That’s half the fun.” grinned Arethusa. 

“This sounds too much like Animal Communication for my liking,” grumbled a Neverboy at the back. “Can’t we just kill--”

“Any Nevers who kill the rabbits will immediately _fail_ the lesson,” snapped Arethusa. “Rabbit stools are useful in most Never potions, and you need live rabbits for that. Besides, chasin’ somethin’ through the Woods and keeping hold of it is a useful skill for villains like you lot. Sure, the Evers have the advantage, but they’re way more likely to blunder into traps compared to you. Evens out. Oh, and don’t wander into the other groups’ sections of forest. Stay inside the ropes we’ve hung up here.”

She tossed the baskets to them. 

“Go on, then!”

* * *

It became quickly obvious that Rosalind was going to win this challenge. 

“You’re cheating,” hissed Marcus as two Everboys furiously combed through the undergrowth they’d just seen a rabbit run into, but now couldn’t find.

How odd.

“Oh, boo-hoo,” said Rosalind, lunging past him and snatching a fully grown rabbit from the tall blue grass nearby. “Never said you couldn’t use talents, did they?”

“Suppose not,” sighed Marcus, veering away from a tripwire he’d just noticed. Then he frowned, watching as another rabbit writhed out of two Nevers’ grip, honking and bucking furiously, before hitting the ground and shooting off into the bushes. “How come they like you so much?”

“They think I’m a princess,” said Rosalind sweetly, watching a Nevergirl get knocked off her feet by what Marcus thought was a species of Beating Bush. “I look like one, I have Ever blood so I must smell a little like one, and by the time they realise I might not be, I’ve already got them.”

“Can’t they smell your clear disdain for them?” snorted Marcus as Ros sauntered off, holding the basket like an unexploded bomb. It was less tentative worry she might hurt the rabbits and more _I hate these things._ Three rabbits already peered over the edge of it, looking rather disgruntled that they’d been captured by this strange Princess impersonator. 

Nearby, Jade and Jackson were debating a tree;

“I wouldn’t go near it,” said Jade. “The bark is lifted off the tree, so I reckon if you put any pressure on it, something will go off.”

“Sometimes trees just get like that, though,” pointed out Jackson. 

“Well, don’t touch it. Might blow up or something.”

“Cool.”

Marcus turned to look for some more rabbits--

“Marcus, what kind of flower is this, before I go wading through it?”

Marcus turned to examine the patch of blossoms Ros was pointing at.

“Ah. Don’t walk it in, they’re the acidic variant of Angelonias, the genus from Hamelin.”

Ros looked blankly at him.

“They’re that snapdragon that burned Dad when we were on holiday in Ginnymill,” sighed Marcus. “See the double leaves?”

“No, but I trust your judgement,” Ros backed away from the flowers and turned to examine a shrub instead.

Marcus turned back to find Jackson and Jade staring at him. 

“Do you just… know that much about everything?” asked Jade. 

Marcus frowned. “No. But I’m interested in magical species and magic theory.”

“ _Obsessed_ with it,” corrected Ros from behind him, catching another baby bunny. Marcus ignored her.

“Ooh, okay--what’s that, then?” Jackson handed his basket to Jade, whirled, and pointed at a tree.

Marcus stared at him. “That’s a normal ash tree.”

“Oh,” Jackson frowned. “No spooky magic properties?”

“Unless the teachers have added any.”

“Ah. Yeah. Haha,” Jackson scratched his neck awkwardly. “I knew that. Just testing you, mate.”

Marcus politely said nothing. 

“So, uh,” Jackson carried on as Jade wandered off to try and lure another rabbit with some blue basil. “Do you spend a lot of time researching this stuff?”

“Yes,” said Marcus calmly, putting a hand to the nose of one of his rabbits to stop it jumping out of his basket. “Clearly.”

“Yeah, yeah! Yeah mate, I wasn’t doubting you, I was just interested--”

Then Jackson put his hand out to lean on the tree Jade had just told him not to touch.

* * *

Once Marcus and Jade had finished fishing him out of the stream, and they’d made sure he’d not broken anything in the impromptu six foot flight, Jackson grinned at him.  
“You’re well clever, you are! That’s so cool!”

Marcus blinked at him, unused to people finding it interesting as opposed to weird.

“Oh. Okay. Thank you. Here are your rabbits.”

“Thanks--” Jackson accepted the basket, tottering to his feet as his rabbits sniffed doubtfully at him. “I--”

He was interrupted by raised voices behind him, and Marcus turned to see Sam and Raiden across the rope barrier, arguing furiously over a rabbit currently sat, unbothered, in Raiden’s lap.

“Not again,” sighed Marcus.

“He’s all I ever hear about,” grinned Rosalind from where she’d been lurking, watching Jackson flail in the water. “Spends her life either insulting _Akiyama_ or trying to steal expensive stuff. It’s fun.”

“Interesting idea of fun,” said Marcus, coaxing a rabbit towards him so he didn’t have to venture into the suspicious looking bushes. “Funnily enough, Raiden does a similar thing. Guess they really hate each other.”

“Yeah,” snorted Ros. “I’m sure.”

* * *

In the end, Marcus managed a mostly successful haul--no rabbits escaped, and he didn’t get any major injuries, which gleaned a rank 5, which he was pleased with. Ros got 1, and escaped unscathed, since she’d caught and snapped the cursed vines before they could get around her neck. However, they were in the uninjured minority--Jackson (the jinxed tree), Jade (fell into chomping brambles), Sam (was too busy arguing with Raiden and stepped on a squirrel, which bit her) and Raiden (smacked in the face with a branch, probably Sam’s fault) were all sporting cuts and bruises, along with various other people who had fallen in holes, been attacked by animals, tangled in vines, or triggered explosions. 

“So, how about _your_ lessons?” Marcus asked Ros as they sat down at lunch--with Ros and Sam this time, though Jackson had departed to sit with his roommates. Raiden was introducing Amelie to Chinhae behind them, Jade and Sam tagging along nearby. Clearly Surviving Fairy Tales was the catalyst to Ever and Never mixing. “You didn’t tell me, earlier on.”

Sam snorted, flinging herself down in the grass and digging through her very green lunch. “Weren’t even _in_ Uglification, were you?” She said to Ros.

Marcus raised his eyebrows questioningly at his sister. Everyone else turned to look, too.

“You make it sound like I was skipping class,” said Ros smoothly. “I was pulled out of it by Sophie, for some… _private tutoring._ Me and Dominique of Frostplains.” She turned and gestured across the Clearing, to another Never lounging under a tree, blue-skinned and white-haired. They were undeniably graceful, so it made sense why Sophie would want to take them on. 

“They’re the Snow Queen’s grandchild, aren’t they?” asked Marcus. “I think I’ve seen them before.” 

“Yes, they were at a function when we were there,” said Ros. “From a big assassin family responsible for all the _accidents_ that befall all the Frost Giant’s enemies.”

“So, what did Sophie want?” asked Raiden. 

“She deemed us _too beautiful to marr in something as dated as Uglification,_ ” said Ros. “Fancies us her proteges, I think.”

She sounded as scornful as she usually did when she mentioned her aunt. Jade blinked. 

“Don’t you like Dean Sophie?” she asked. “She’s your aunt, isn’t she?”

Ros eyed her, unimpressed. “I respect Sophie, but she’s too showy. She has no subtlety. Also, she let love interfere with her potential, which was stupid.”

She lounged back in the grass, hair fanning out. Amelie stared at her for a second, pausing with her lunch basket half-open. 

Jade looked awkward. “Oh-- well, I suppose so,” she said quickly.

“How about your other lessons?” asked Chinhae. “The Evil lessons seem interesting.”

“Special Talents was boring,” yawned Sam. “Everyone’s talents sucked except mine and Ros’s.”

“Yours is disappointing,” sniffed Raiden. “Immune to poisons? All the ways I could incapacitate you are disappearing--”

“Tough talk for a guy with a branch mark on his face. Also, are you an Ever or not?”

Marcus sighed and tuned out their arguing--

Until he heard Sam again.

“--but Ros’s fire magic is cool.”

Chinhae and Marcus’s heads snapped up. 

“Fire magic?” said Jade reverently. “Woah.”

Ros smiled thinly. “I’m working on it.”

“ _Are_ you?” said Marcus pointedly. He could tell from the faint smirk his sister was wearing that Ros thought she was terribly clever. Hiding her talent in plain sight, but disguising it as something else. “That’s interesting. I didn’t know you were doing that.”

Ros shot him a warning glance. “You never asked.” 

Then Chinhae cut in. “What’s the matter, Amelie?”

Everyone turned to see Amelie staring at her hands, looking rather downcast. “Well…” Amelie said in a small voice, lip wobbling. “I was just thinking about the bunnies we had to save earlier, and now I feel guilty…”

Marcus, confused, looked down at his plate and realised that they’d been served rabbit, today. He got the distinct impression that Ros and Sam were working very hard not to find the coincidence funny.

Jade, cheeks bulging, and Raiden, a rabbit leg in his hand, exchanged sheepish glances with one another--

“Have mine, I’ll eat yours,” Ros regained herself and shoved her bowl into Amelie’s hands. “You like all this green stuff, right? You said you were a vegetarian.”

Amelie peered at what seemed to Raiden to just be a bowl of leaves, and her face split into a smile. “Really? Oh, _thank_ you, how sweet!”

Ros shrugged, accepting Amelie’s basket in return. “I was just going to steal Marcus’s food anyway, so it’s no loss.”

Marcus frowned. Amelie laughed.

Sam looked expectantly up at Raiden.

“Sammy. Sweetheart,” said Raiden through a mouthful of rabbit. “You called me a smug git at the welcoming, have been a bother all day-- actually, all week-- but the second you want something from me--”

Sam held up a finger. “You gimme this, now, and I’ll give you all the alfafa we get. I know you like it for some weird reason, and the Good menu has like, no greens in it. Just... cholesterol.”

Raiden flexed his jaw, glaring at her. 

Rosalind and Chinhae exchanged amused glances--

“Fine,” snapped Raiden, and handed his plate to her so she could help herself. Then he turned to his roommates. “I just realised-- I didn’t show you Sora’s letter, did I?”

“You had a letter from him?” asked Marcus. If he didn’t know better, he’d have wondered why Alex hadn’t done the same. But he did, so the letter was probably written and sealed, but crumpled in the bottom of her endless pockets until she remembered to send it. 

“Yeah, yesterday. Here--”

He dug in the side pocket of his chair and produced it.

“I can’t understand Avonlea,” said Marcus flatly, handing it to Chinhae.

“That big brain of yours and you never learned it?” grinned Raiden. Marcus frowned. 

“Languages are Chinhae’s forte. I do magical theory.”

Chinhae leaned over it, clearing his throat--

“Oh, his handwriting is terrible.”

“Truly dreadful,” Raiden agreed cheerfully. “Go on, then.”

“ _Raiden,_  
 _Just had a visit from the Head of the Everwood Society. She’s the new Good Deeds Professor this year. Nothing to suggest nefarious intent but she mentioned-_ \- um, do you want me to read this out loud?”

“What, that she happily works with our deadbeat parents who ditched us with our grandmother and that’s why Sora’s suspicious?” Raiden questioned. 

“...take that as a yes. - _-she mentioned Daisuke and Koharu to my face, so I’m not convinced. Stay vigilant--_ ”

“He’s so dramatic,” sighed Raiden--

_“--because she was snooping around about our quest, and now the Society seems to be meddling everywhere. First Agatha’s house, now the School for Good. Write to me if there are any problems. Love, Sora.”_

“What happened to your mother’s house?” Amelie asked Rosalind. 

“Society took over. Trying to turn it into a museum,” Ros said grimly.

“Did they have permission?”

“They definitely did not,” supplied Marcus. 

Amelie looked between them, shocked. “That’s terrible! I didn’t know that. Why would they try and do that?”

Ros opened her mouth--

“Good afternoon!” 

Marcus turned to see Professor Fournier trotting over the grass towards them, clutching several clipboards.

“Just coming to see how you’ve all been finding your first week--” she stopped, noticing Sam and Rosalind’s black uniforms. “Ah, this is the first time I’ve seen Evers and Nevers sitting together! How…new.”

“I’m sitting with my brother,” Rosalind said coldly, not looking up at her. “It’s nothing to do with Ever and Never.”

Hephzibah smiled, as if she hadn’t noticed her tone. “Oh, of course, naturally! I’m just trying to get used to it, that’s all. Lots to get used to when you’re new! So, I was wondering if any of my students would like to do a quick little survey about how you’re finding it so far? I’m sure I’ll see you in class later-- this afternoon, I think?-- but just to have it all written down somewhere.”

“I’ll do--” began Raiden, but Chinhae kicked the side of Raiden’s chair as he stood, a clear _don’t you get involved_ message. Raiden filling out a survey for the Everwood Society was never going to end well. 

“Of course,” Chinhae said calmly, accepting the clipboards from Hephzibah. “Here, Jade, do this with me.”

Jade looked rather hesitant, but she accepted it anyway. Hephzibah smiled at them, pleased, then scanned the group--Marcus looking awkwardly around for help, whilst Ros and Raiden glared past Hephzibah, and Sam smirked. Amelie was staring at her hands. 

“I met your sister,” Hephzibah said to Marcus, clearly able to tell who was going to be the more receptive twin. “She’s doing well with her play, isn’t she?”

“As far as I can tell,” said Marcus. 

“Do you know what they’re actually doing? I presume that’s not actually their quest, though it would be lots of fun if it was, wouldn’t it?”

She smiled at him. Marcus didn’t smile back. He just looked at her for a moment, considering her motives. He really did need to write to Alex.

Then, he said;

“I thought it was just a promotion of inter-school unity and a nice way to keep old stories alive. Isn’t that a worthy enough quest?”

Hephzibah blinked. “Oh-- well, yes, I suppose so! Yes, that’s a good way of putting it-- are you two done? Ah, excellent, thank you so much! Thank you. See you in class later! Oooh, what a lovely bracelet, dear--”

Then she was trotting away.

“Nice save,” Ros told Marcus.

“I try,” muttered Marcus, watching her retreating back. “Somehow I don’t think she’d have believed me if I’d said I didn’t know. Even though I don’t.”

“It _is_ a nice bracelet,” Jade was saying to Amelie, indicating the silver rose charm. Amelie smiled.

“Thank you!”

“Roses are a thing with you, aren’t they? How coincidental,” Ros stood up and stretched, grabbing Sam’s advancing arm as she did so. “Keep it away from Samiya, hm? Master thief.”

Sam grinned shamelessly. “Just thought I’d have a go.”

“‘ _Master thief_ ,’” snorted Raiden. 

“You can dispute it when you find your grandmother’s vases, Akiyama,” said Sam, standing to join Rosalind, who grinned down at them. 

“Well, it’s time for Sam and I to return to the den of immorality and acne. Until next time.” She bowed to them and sauntered off, Sam glaring at Raiden over her shoulder as she followed her.

“She’s exhausting,” said Raiden.

“Ros or Sam?” grinned Marcus. 

“I meant Sammy,” said Raiden. “But much as I love your sister, I pray one day she’ll learn virtues like temperance, humility, and not bullying your poor father within an inch of a stroke.”

“He’s fine,” dismissed Marcus, clearing up the lunch plates. “It bounces right off him, because Ros is his baby and he spoils her. He knows she doesn’t mean it.”

“Sounding bitter, Mark.”

“Why should I be? I’m my mother’s favourite.”

Raiden laughed. 

“I like Rosalind,” Amelie said tentatively. “She’s clever.”

“I’ll give her that one,” agreed Raiden. “Maybe a little _too_ clever. Charming, isn’t she?”

He and Amelie headed back off to return the lunch things, still chatting, and Chinhae caught Marcus’s arm. 

“What’s Rosalind playing at?” he whispered. “Disguising her talent?”

Marcus sighed, starting on the path back to the castle. “My best guess is that she thinks she can benefit from keeping it a secret. She’s probably right, but she’ll have to reveal it at some point, so--”

“Hey guys! What’re we talking about?”

Jade bounced up by Chinhae’s side, looking hopeful. Marcus realised, with a twinge of guilt, that they’d left her on her own after they started leaving. 

“Oh-- nothing important,” he said. “Just Ros.”

Jade grinned. “Ros is cool. Loved it when she shoved my sister into that pond. Never laughed so hard in my life, honestly.” She paused, suddenly looking uncertain, like she wasn’t sure if she should have said that--

But Chinhae saved her.

“We weren’t supposed to laugh, but it did look funny,” he agreed. “You don’t get on with her?”

“No,” admitted Jade. “I wish I was lucky like Marcus, and I had a cool sister. She’s just mean.”

“ _Ros_ is pretty mean,” pointed out Marcus.

“But it’s _fun_ mean.” Jade said, though she didn’t sound very convinced. Marcus grimaced, suspecting she’d noticed that Rosalind wasn’t too fond of her. He made a note to tell Ros to knock it off. Then again, guilty until proven innocent was the Never way. 

Chinhae changed the subject. “Have you got Good Deeds next?”

Jade brightened. “Yeah! Can we sit with you guys? Me and Jackson? I don’t think his roommates are in his classes, so he’s on his own as well...”

“Of course,” said Chinhae. “Was it Jackson you were with earlier? Who got…er... thrown by the tree?”

Jade grimaced. “Oh. Yep, that’s us.”

Marcus smiled ruefully as they pulled ahead. Chinhae was attracted to chaos like a moth to a flame, probably because his life was made unbearably boring by a court that was extremely overprotective of their only heir. No doubt they’d be seeing a lot more of Jackson and Jade, from now on.

He found he didn’t have a problem with that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, rabbits do honk. I should know. bloody Jeff.  
> this was basically just one of those "this is how everyone works" chapters but I hope you liked it anyway! sorry if it was a bit boring lol


	10. the only "emotion" we allow in this house is the carly rae jepsen album

“What... makes... a... good... deed?” asked Professor Fournier that afternoon, teetering on her tiptoes before the chalkboard as she scratched the question into the centre and drew a circle around it. She turned to them, beaming expectantly.

The usual silence of a new class reluctant to engage met her. Marcus really didn’t know what she’d expected.

She waited a few extra seconds, then seemed to realise no one was going to speak up. She sighed and pointed her chalk at a girl with reddish ringlets on the front row. 

“You, dear, what’s your name? Give me one fact about Good deeds, anything at all.”

“Colette, professor,” said the girl in a thin, reedy voice. “They make your soul purer!”

“When done with good intentions, yes!” said Hephzibah, scribbling purifies soul onto the mind map. “Anyone else?”

Tentatively, other Evers started to volunteer answers:

“Done without wanting anything in return?”

“They benefit others.”

“Necessary for all Evers.”

Hephzibah noted all of these down, nodding approvingly. Marcus put his chin in his hand, bored already. He found this to be an awfully basic first lesson, but most first lessons had been. Raiden looked similarly bored, but Chinhae had put on his impassive Prince face, probably to conceal what he really thought (which was probably that he, also, was bored). Amelie looked politely interested, but Jade was playing hangman with Jackson on a scrap piece of paper. Marcus suspected Hephzibah was playing it safe, to avoid any sort of backlash like Cromwell had faced with Alex’s class. We’ll probably not get any quizzes this year, he thought wryly. 

“Now!” Hephzibah turned brightly to the students, once she had all the qualities she was wanting. “I want to hear examples of Good Deeds that people have done for you! So, let's see…” she scanned the room, and her eyes snagged on Marcus. “Prince Marcus! How about you?”

Marcus crushed a sigh at being picked on and frowned, trying to choose something. “Well... Rosalind piggybacked me home in the rain once, after I sprained my ankle.”

Hephzibah’s smile tightened somewhat. “Well…that’s a lovely example, and very noble, but your sister is a Never. So she is therefore incapable of performing Good Deeds.”

“It’s still a Good Deed, regardless of who performs it,” said Marcus coolly, disliking her immediate dismissal.

“Yeah, she’s done lots of horrible things as well,” muttered Raiden. “Balances out.” 

Marcus grinned, thinking of Gerald’s riding accident. 

Hephzibah ignored them, and turned instead to Chinhae. 

“How about you, Prince Chinhae?”

Chinhae, probably chafing at her use of their titles, looked a little reluctant, but answered without protesting.

“Seohun--” he began, but Hepzibah cut him off.

“Min Seohun? Your… servant? The Evil graduate?”

“Stylist,” said Chinhae thinly, obviously displeased by the disdain in her tone. “But yes, he--”

Hephzibah sighed. “I’m sure these are very good examples, but Nevers cannot perform Good Deeds!” She said emphatically. “They are not Good!”

She whipped desperately to her next target; Jade, who was pulling on one of her earrings, staring into space.

“What about you, Princess Jade?” She said, slightly desperately. Jade jumped and almost yanked her earring through her ear. It began to bleed slightly.

“Er… I’m not really sure,” She said lamely, trying in vain to stem it with her fingers. “I don’t think anyone’s ever really done anything… that nice…for me...”

Marcus and Chinhae exchanged a glance. 

“You’re a Princess, dear! Surely a suitor, or a knight…”

“I don’t have any suitors,” Jade admitted, slightly stiff. “Or knights.”

Marcus didn’t think she was lying, unfortunately. Adrian’s least favourite, confirmed. 

“Well, then, what about your sister? Emmelina, yes?” Hepzibah prodded. “She’s a pure Good soul if there ever was one, I’m surprised to see she’s withheld her application--”

A flash of what Marcus thought was genuine resentment flickered across Jade’s face at the mention of her sister. It was surprisingly strong.   
“Yes. She’s very popular,” she said, her tone cold. “Very confident. She’s always willing to offer her opinion on things. Like my appearance.” 

Marcus winced. Jade’s earlier remarks--I wish I was lucky like Marcus, and I had a cool sister-- were making even more sense, now. 

“Well, there you go! What else are sisters for?” smiled Hepzibah, so relieved she’d got a half-decent answer that she completely missed the tone. “Jaunt Jolie’s very stringent about upholding Good values, I do admire the kingdom for that...”

Jade laughed. Audibly. 

It must have been unintentional, because when everyone turned to stare at her, she reddened and spluttered out a confused apology;

“Sorry. I was just-- I’ve never heard anyone describe it quite like that... before...” She trailed off. Hepzibah shot her a strange look, but didn’t press it, and turned to cross-examine someone else instead. Jade pulled harder on her ear in embarrassment and made it bleed more--

Chinhae quietly slid a clean handkerchief across the table to her (Jade mumbled an awkward thank you) and twisted in his chair to look at Raiden and Marcus. Marcus frowned thoughtfully. Jade had just made it rather clear that Jaunt Jolie wasn't as Good as it liked to claim it was. Maybe his father and Eunha were onto something, in terms of their intense dislike of Adrian. 

* * *

The rest of the lesson wasn’t nearly as exciting, punctuated with typical stories of saving baby deer from flash floods and buying mothers diamond necklaces. At least, not until the end. 

Marcus was half-heartedly reading a passage in a shiny new textbook about famous fairy-tale Good Deeds, when the door flew open. 

“I’ve been sent to deliver a message from Dean Sophie.”

Everyone else swivelled in their seats, but Marcus didn’t bother. He knew what his sister sounded like. He was more interested in the reaction at the front of the room.

“Did you knock, dear?” Hephzibah asked calmly. “I didn’t hear.”

Rosalind ignored her jab, heading down the aisle and ruffling Marcus’s hair as she passed him. He half-heartedly slapped her hand away. 

“She said it was important,” she told Hephzibah instead, handing over a heavily lavender-scented note sealed with black wax. Hephzibah slit it open, read it, and sighed. 

“It’s… important to _her_ ,” she said. “I’ll go and see her after lessons today.” 

Something to do with Sophie’s extensive beauty routines, no doubt. Marcus knew his aunt well enough to know what she considered important. 

Hephzibah looked up at Ros, head tilted. “Did Dean Sophie not assign you a guard, Rosalind? I presume an oversight on her part…”

Rosalind looked hard at her. “I beg your pardon?”

“Oh, it’s nothing bad, dear,” smiled the Good Deeds professor. “It’s just that, in the new rulebook, Nevers moving around the School for Good must be escorted. Either by a wolf guard, a staff member, or a volunteer student of Good. Look, here…”

She picked up a small, cream book from her desk, flicked through it, and turned it around to face Rosalind, pointing to a passage. Rosalind reached out to take it, and Hephzibah pulled it out of her reach. Eyebrows raised, Rosalind leaned down to read it.

The entire class was watching now. Amelie, Jade and Jackson looked worried, but Raiden was grinning, obviously enjoying the clash between two masters of passive-aggression. Chinhae was as impassive as ever. 

“ _To prevent vandalism of the Good monuments_ ,” read out Rosalind. “I see.”

“Yes,” said Hephzibah, tucking the book away. “There was a big mural on your way up, just by Valor, wasn’t there? It’s very pretty, and although I’m sure you and your fellows would like to chip a bit off, we don’t want it being damaged, now do we?”

She looked expectantly around at her students--

“Actually, I would rather like it to remain intact,” said Rosalind icily. “You know, since it depicts my _parents_.”

Raiden turned a laugh into a sneeze. Jade covered her mouth to hide a grin. Marcus sighed and started packing his books back into his bag, knowing full well this was going to take the rest of the lesson. 

But Hephzibah didn’t flounder as Cromwell had. She just inclined her head. “Well,” she said. “Then you should understand the need for it even more.”

The bell rang. Most people leaped to their feet, relieved for an excuse to escape the quickly-rising tension. Hephzibah and Rosalind remained staring at one another. 

“Prince Marcus will escort you back to Halfway Bridge, Rosalind,” Hephzibah said calmly.

“Actually, I think Amelie will do fine,” said Rosalind calmly, turning to Amelie at the desk beside her, who froze, midway through putting her pencils away. “Marcus has to push Raiden to the elevator. That’s a Good Deed, isn’t it? The sort of thing you teach about.”

Presumably furious at being defied, but knowing she couldn’t argue, Hephzibah's jaw tensed somewhat, but she still remained calm. Amelie looked nervously at her, clearly afraid of defying a professor--

“A fine idea,” said Hephzibah, and turned to clear the board.

Rosalind smiled, her fake little close-mouthed one that foretold absolutely nothing good.

“I’m so glad we’re in agreement.” She turned and offered Amelie a much more genuine one, plus her arm. “Shall we walk, lovely?” 

* * *

Raiden watched Amelie and Rosalind disappear down the Valor stairs with some amusement. 

“They’re so contrasting,” he said to Marcus as the enchanted platform started sinking to the ground floor. “It looks so funny. They look like opposites, they’re in opposing schools, Ros is really tall and Amelie’s quite little…”

His comparisons mostly fell on deaf ears, however, because Marcus wasn’t paying attention, also looking over at Valor. Raiden prodded him in the side.

“Mark, you’re missing my sparkling observations.”

“Hm? Oh, sorry,”

Raiden waved him off. “Doesn’t matter. What were you thinking about?”

“I was just wondering what made them put that rule in,” admitted Marcus as the platform stopped and he steered Raiden’s chair onto the marble floor. “There wasn’t a problem with it in Alex’s year.”

“True,” mused Raiden as they joined the others on the way down to their final lesson of Animal Communication. “They were all buddy-buddy with the Nevers after that Trial, anyway.”

Marcus frowned. “It feels odd. I’ll write to my mother, ask if there was ever anything like that when she was here...” he paused. “Well, maybe I’ll ask Dad, actually. I don’t think she ever read the rulebook. Or knew the rules in the first place.”

Raiden laughed. 

* * *

Later, Raiden would find it highly amusing that, despite having three members of Ever royal families in their midst, they still sucked at Animal Communication. 

But it was laughably easy to forget that’s what Jade was, Raiden thought as he watched said Princess put her elbow in a molehill and topple sideways, off-balance. She was sitting alone; based on her answer from the last lesson, pretty much everyone had lost any interest they might have had in her status, and therefore in her. He felt a little sorry for her, truth be told.  
  
"Now!" Their teacher trilled enthusiastically, once what Raiden called the _Stag Story Ego Booster_ was over. "As I'm sure you all know, the first challenge in Animal Communication is famed; Wish Fish!"

The second the words had left her mouth, everyone turned eagerly to see the group of tiny white fish by the shore. 

"Many teachers have adjusted their curriculums in recent years, but I have never seen the need,” continued Uma. “To be truly Good, you must be in tune with your own soul, your own wishes. If you don’t know what you want, how can you expect any of your friends, animal or human, to either? In this way, Wish Fish are perfect. The Ever with the strongest, clearest, wish, wins!" 

Raiden looked closer at the fish as everyone clustered to the shore. His honest first thought was that somewhere, deep in their staring, glassy eyes, there is a hint of exasperation.

_Not this shit again_ , they seem to be thinking. Raiden sympathised. Must be infuriating, serving a cause as ostentatious as the Greater Good by drawing which students have the hots for one another.

The students lined up along the shore, Raiden bad-naturedly hauling himself out of his chair and sitting with everyone else. 

“Who's first?" Uma asked brightly. 

A tall brunette girl called Bethany volunteered. She dipped her hand in the water and the fish clustered, fading into different hues to paint an incredibly accurate portrait of a boy; Dan, dimpled and dark-skinned, from the dorm next door to Raiden.

His roommates, Jackson and Dylan, cheered and slapped Dan on the back. He flashed Bethany a grin that painted her a lovely rose colour, and Uma clasped her hands in satisfaction. 

"Love at first sight!" she said. "What else could one possibly wish for but true love?"

Raiden found that, personally, true love was fairly low on his priority list. _Tell Sammy she’s a terrible shot at every opportunity_ was first, followed by _eat good food_ and _secure Talib as brother-in-law,_ which was an objective shared by his grandmother. They’d get there one day. 

The lesson was just mildly silly, at first; Danielle drew Lijie, Bajan drew Dylan, Jacob drew Jessica. 

Then Colette, the girl who’d been the first to answer a question earlier, got the fish to draw _Chinhae_.

She smiled with immense satisfaction. Chinhae smiled as well, but it was close lipped and clearly just to be polite. He didn’t look at her. 

But when the next three girls and two boys drew him too, the hidden discomfort in Chae’s eyes took on a more alarmed edge. 

The group giggled and twittered and Uma clucked, saying something about how they need to be _practical_ \--but her face betrayed an unfortunate level of investment. 

Chinhae picked at the grass and said nothing. His face was still and pale and blank. Carved marble. Raiden knew he'd dealt with such audulation for years-- Chinhae and Rosalind, suitor’s darlings. But in Chinhae, there was none of the disdain that Rosalind treated her suitors with--just a blank face and darting, frightened eyes. 

Jade was looking over at him curiously, and Raiden searched desperately for a distraction from Chinhae, as Jackson approached the water for his turn--

“Don’t suppose you’re going to turn them human, are you Marcus?” Raiden said loudly, just as Jackson put his hand in the water.

Marcus opened his mouth to respond--

“Got an eye on some inheritance, Jackson?” heckled Dylan. 

Everyone looked down to find that the fish had drawn Marcus. 

Jackson went violently red and yanked his hand out of the water. “Um, no, I just-- I wouldn’t-- um... ”

“Wish Fish are easily swayed, despite claims they reflect your deepest desires,” said Marcus, sounding almost bored. “If you have a new thought just as you put your hand in, they’ll pick up on that, since it seems so strong. They use a waterborne branch of telepathy, which is made blurry by the person not being entirely in the water, so they’ll have just picked up on Raiden mentioning me.”

Jackson’s face struggled for a minute-- Raiden saw relief, disappointment, and confusion all cross his expression before his face settled back into his customary cheer. 

“Oh, makes sense! That’s really clever, though, how’d they do that--?”

The chatter resumed, everyone convinced by Marcus’s explanation. But Raiden knew Marcus, and Marcus was wearing a slightly cold expression Raiden was more used to seeing on his sister’s face. He wasn’t bored at all. He was embarrassed, and covering for it by having no emotion at all. 

Well, that would be tonight’s dorm room ribbing material--

“Raiden, your turn!” proclaimed Uma.

Raiden groaned. “Chae, hold onto me. I don’t want to fall in the lake, my hair looks good today.”

After some scrabbling and arguing with Chinhae, he finally managed to get close enough to the fish to shove his hand in--

The fish all shuddered backwards in the water. Raiden swore that they were glaring at him, and even as he had the thought, one shot a spout of water at him. Just to make their point, apparently. 

"Huh," He said. "Guess they're not fans of The Akiyama."

Several people laughed.

"I've never seen them _disapprove_ of a wish before," Uma frowned. "What on earth did you think of? A Never?" 

"I didn't think of anything, actively," Raiden scoffed, letting Chinhae help him across the lawn and back into his chair. "Maybe they're offended at my lack of imagination."

But despite Raiden’s best efforts, Chinhae was still next, and he looked distinctly nervous as he approached the water. Everyone leaned forward, most of all the people who’d drawn him, waiting to see who’d be validated. Honestly, whatever happened, Raiden considered him doomed. If he drew one of the people who’d drawn him, the ones he hadn’t picked would resent them. If he drew someone new, that person would face the combined wrath of all the others. Either way, that person would probably get extremely overzealous and convince themselves they were going to be the Royal Consort of Avalon Towers, based on fish drawing people’s stupid teenage crushes…

But Raiden was proved wrong, and Chinhae was saved, because the fish didn’t draw a student. 

They drew a woman. 

“Who’s that?” demanded Colette--

But Raiden recognised her just fine. 

It was Eunha. And not the Eunha he knew either, but one standing much straighter, fuller of face, no cane visible and lacking the pained expression--

Oh. 

“It’s my mother,” said Chinhae faintly, into the confused silence. “Better.”

Several girls _awwwed_. Raiden winced. She was a person, not a puppy. 

“Oh, the perfect wish!” exclaimed Uma, clearly not noticing how unhappy Chinhae looked as he pulled his hand out of the water. “Selfless and honest! What a wonderful thing to wish for, dear, certainly a first place rank there, unless anyone gets anything better and I highly doubt they will--”

Raiden awkwardly patted Chinhae’s back as he returned to them, knowing Chinhae probably didn’t want them to say anything to him. They knew the situation, and there was nothing to be done. 

But Raiden suspected an underlying wish. While he was certain Chinhae desperately wanted his mother to recover, Eunha being healthy also signified something else-- that Chinhae was not about to be forced onto the throne imminently. It had always been something that had bothered the Avalon Towers court. The threat of Eunha rapidly deteriorating and dying hung darkly over them, because it would mean throwing a teenage Emperor wracked with grief onto the throne of one of the most powerful Good kingdoms, with no consort or heirs to secure the line. It was a disaster waiting to happen. Tedros and Empress Mika of Walleye Spring had both promised Eunha to provide Chinhae with allies and political protection in the event of this happening, but either way, it was still a terrible thing. 

So, yes. In Chinhae’s case, it really had been his deepest wish. 

Suddenly feeling rather solemn, Raiden turned back to the lake, no longer interested in watching people draw their crushes…

But both Chinhae and Raiden were outdone when Jade made the fish explode.

There was a resounding _bang_ and a good number of fish shot into the air, flailing madly before slapping back into the water. Several people screamed, Jackson the loudest. 

"What the _hell_ was that?" Jade demanded, shaking scalded fingers as the fish darted away into the shallows, panicked. Uma kissed her teeth and shook her head.

"Conflicting wishes, my dear. Two or more equally powerful desires that oppose one another… well, it sounds like your soul is not at peace. Try yoga, perhaps."

She sighed, wading into the shallows and peering into the now fish-less waters.

“We’ll have to split this lesson into two halves. The fish won’t want to work again today, not after that. We’ll try again on Monday morning, with the rest of you who haven’t had the chance to look, yet… I’ll rank those who have, don’t worry!” she added quickly, in response to the irritated muttering that had erupted.

* * *

Chinhae came first. Jade came last, obviously, and Raiden came one place above her. They high-fived on the way back to the castle.

“Who cares about some dumb fish anyway?” said Raiden. “They probably just didn’t like that my greatest wish was a bowl of my grandmother’s tempura donburi.”

Jade laughed, but it faded quickly. "The worst part," she said as the fairies chimed for dinner, "Is that we all could have just lied and made it you as well, Chinhae."

Chinhae frowned at her, surprised.

"...Do you think they were lying?"

"Not exactly, but I think there was a lot of superficiality and really aggressive thinking going on," Jade shrugged. Raiden noticed she was looking at Colette, who was up ahead. "They can't all genuinely like you. Most of them haven't even spoken to you. Love at first sight is bollocks." 

"Can't lie to the fish," Raiden dismissed, as Chinhae struggled for something to say. "They _know_."

Jackson, walking nearby, looked uncomfortable. Raiden whipped his hand back and hit Marcus in the torso. “Slow down a second, your holiness, I need to check I’ve got my meds. Anemone promised to snitch to my grandmother if I didn’t take them at dinner--”

He leaned down to rifle in his chair’s pockets, but only until everyone else had pulled ahead.

“You,” he said, sitting back up very abruptly. “Are a lying bastard.”

Marcus blinked. “What?”

“Wish Fish don’t use _waterborne telepathy,_ ” scoffed Raiden. “They’re Soul-Seekers, like sirens are. They don’t even need to touch you to know what your wish is, the hand in the water is just to alert them to your presence. You lied to cover for Jackson.”

“How do you know that--”

“Because you told me, Mark,” said Raiden. 

“... I thought my dad was the only one who understood my magical theory rants.” said Marcus, confused. 

“Rosalind assures me that Tedros doesn’t understand, he just listens really hard because he’s your dad and he loves you,” scoffed Raiden. “I pretend not to listen because, like your sister, I project a cool, mysterious veneer of disinterest--”

“You’re the nosiest person on earth!” protested Marcus.

“Then you shouldn’t be surprised I paid attention to your rants, should you?” smiled Raiden. “I listen to my friends.”

“...Oh.” Marcus went red. “Well. Thank you.”

“Doesn’t change the fact you stole all of Rosalind’s mannerisms and made up some stupid bullshit because you’re embarassed Jackson has a crush on you, though. Are you gonna tell him you lied?”

Marcus reddened further. “I don’t know. Probably. But I thought he’d be embarrassed, too--”

Raiden sighed loudly. “You better tell him, because he’s our next-door neighbour and I refuse to deal with unresolved sexual tension all year-- no! Marcus, come back! I don’t want to maneuver myself along all those tables! Marcus! I’m sorry! You’re acting like your sister!”

Marcus sighed and turned back to come and get him. “You speak a word of this to Jackson and I will dump you in the lake.”

Raiden saluted him. “Aye-aye, captain.”

“If I ever become King, I could have you banished for consistently using the wrong honorific,” muttered Marcus.

“Would be hard, considering I am not from your kingdom.”

“I’d find a way.”

“I have no doubt that you would,” grinned Raiden. “You’re a clever clogs. Let's go eat.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhhhh I got no notes lmao. Hope I'm doing Raiden alright! there's like no disabled people in SGE so I have to constantly be thinking abt how it would work and inventing new stuff but it's chill. Also magic system mine now boo sucks to Soman bc I have Rules And Stuff


	11. be nice to chinhae or I'll punch your lights out

Ros had always thought of her aunt as something of a fool. 

Oh, she knew full well how clever and wicked and conniving Sophie was, how she’d defeated numerous rivals and just straight-up murdered others, but when she did things like this, it was incredibly hard to take her seriously. 

Rosalind sighed and looked down at the two files she and Dominique were holding. 

_Dominique Broduer of Frostplains, 15. Non-binary. 6’0. White-blonde. Blue skin. Good complexion. Bad posture (slouches)._   
_Legacy relative: The Snow Queen (Great-grandchild)_   
_Dominique is heir to a shady Frostplains family who always seem to be involved in “accidents” that happen to the Frost Giant’s enemies-- skating tragedies, icicle impalations, blizzard disappearances, etc. Not as temperamental as the rest of their family, but handle with caution._

_Princess Rosalind Sophia Pendragon of Camelot. 16. Female. 5’9 (5’11 in heels). Black hair. Agatha’s complexion, poor girl. Perfect posture. Knows too many bad words. _   
_Legacy relative: Me, darling. (Oh, and Aggie and Teddy--_

She set it down with a sigh, and exchanged glances with Dominique, who looked completely unamused, lounging on one of Sophie’s pink chaise lounges with their long legs draped over the side. 

“So, what are you subjecting us to first?” they asked Sophie. “We didn’t do anything special last time, you just talked about yourself for twenty minutes and made us fill out a quiz about you for the other forty.”

“Which you both did _dismally_ on, I might add,” sniffed their Dean, flinging red-scribbled sheets of parchment back at them. “My own niece doesn’t know what hand cream I use.”

“Am I supposed to be _channelling the spirit of my handsome father,_ as you put it, or not?” muttered Ros. 

“In fashion sense, not in attitude towards me, Rosalind!”

Ros snorted and looked back at the test, where Sophie had violently crossed out her answer to question 31: _What, in your opinion, was Dean Sophie’s finest moment in The Tale of Sophie and Agatha?_ Ros had written _the bit when she got dumped by Tedros because she’d rather he died than see her naked._ She’d been in a bad mood by that point.

“Either way, I thought it was obvious,” continued Sophie. “The two of you are simply too handsome to _ruin_ with something as common as Uglification. So I am personally intervening in this section of your education, to ensure your potential is fulfilled. We’re starting with the power of Never fashion and the potential of weaponizing good looks.”

“So that’s why you asked for headshots with the application,” said Dominique, grudgingly amused. 

“ _I_ didn’t send a headshot,” frowned Rosalind. 

“I stole the miniature portrait of you from Teddy’s desk the second I got wind of you applying to Evil, so that I understood your bone structure properly,” said Sophie, rifling through her desk drawer and producing it. “You can send it back to him now, if you like.”

Rosalind groaned internally and shoved it into her pocket. 

Sophie settled back in her chair to stare at them both. 

“So, we’ll start with the face, which is the most important weapon in your arsenal,” she tapped her chin, considering. “So, what I want you to do is examine each other, and give constructive criticism as to what the other can do to improve the way they present their face. Shall we have drinks? I have a plethora of iced teas…”

She went bustling off into one of her endless closets, and Rosalind and Dominique turned to one another, exasperated--

“At least you two are calm," A new voice said. "The pair she chose last time started trying to tell each other they looked like goats and it ended in a fistfight. Thorne and June. On either side of the Alex feud, so it was hardly going to end well. And before that, it was Min Seohun, hotly denying having stolen any makeup from her even though he was wearing it at the time...”

Rosalind turned, but she already knew who it was. 

“Don’t you object to Evil students getting pulled up here, right next to the Storian, every week?” she demanded of Nicola, who was sitting in the shadows on the edge of the Storian’s table, examining what was currently being scribbled down. 

Dominique raised one elegant eyebrow. “Met the School Master before, have you?”

“A few times,” said Rosalind blithely. 

“Well, I’d like to see them try to steal it, with both Sophie and myself in here,” Nicola responded to her question. “It’s pretty much impossible, anyway.”

“ _Pretty_ much,” murmured Rosalind. 

“Don’t try and make it a father-daughter tradition, Rosalind,” warned Nicola. Rosalind smiled at her. 

“How long has she been doing this for?” demanded Dominique, not really listening and instead poking through the files on Sophie’s desk. “She has prompt cards ready.”

“Ever since she got back into the role,” said Nicola, “Since Manley… _had an accident_.”

Rosalind snorted. Manley had been conveniently _indisposed_ only five or so years after he’d taken the position from Sophie. Rumour had it she’d asked for it back and he’d refused her. On a completely unrelated note, he’d been gored by a boar in the Sidekick Challenge a day after, and had stepped down. Sophie had been honoured to take his place. 

She peered over at the table Nicola sat on, where the Storian had ceased writing and was hovering over the page.

“New story?”

“Yes,” said Nicola, furrowing her brow. “Started a few weeks ago. It’s been slow going.”

“What’s it about?”

“Not allowed to tell you,” said Nicola firmly. “Besides, there’s new enchantments on the Storian now. No one but me can comprehend the writing, unless I want them to--”

“ _Nicola_ , you’re distracting my students!”

Sophie came marching back in with a tray bearing a pitcher of iced tea and several glasses. Nicola snorted and went back to examining the book. 

“...I assume you’ve not bothered to offer one another any critiques,” Sophie said, unimpressed.

“She’s a Princess and I’m from an assassin family,” said Dominique dryly. “Imagine the carnage if we offended one another and went crying to our parents.”

“That’s half the fun, darling,” said Sophie, depositing the tray in front of them. “Well, I suppose I’ll just have to do it myself.”

Rosalind, who got the impression that was what she’d wanted to do all along, shot Dominique a skeptical glance. The other Never rolled their eyes--as far as Rosalind had seen, they would be mighty hard to offend. Absolutely nothing phased them.

Sophie whipped a piece of paper out of her pocket and started rattling off a list of imperfections;

“Rosalind, your expressions are _all_ Agatha and frankly, it gives me indigestion. Also your foundation is a shade too light and you need to cover that faint mole on your cheekbone properly, no matter how cute your parents think it is. Dominique, you squint too much and you need to stop picking your lips, it's a _horrible_ habit--”

Rosalind zoned out, staring over to where the Storian was adding the finishing touches to a painting of four teenagers in an unfamiliar room. Only one’s face was visible--the shorter boy’s-- but the set of the mouth and the cheeks reminded her of Raiden.

“ _Rosalind_ , are you listening? I said you need to cut your fringe a little shorter, and it’s crooked. Whoever does it for you, your sister?”

“Yeah, with the kitchen scissors in low light,” said Rosalind, mostly just to wind her up. 

Sophie swelled red and Ros sat back, smirking at Dominique. Perhaps this would be more fun than she’d thought. 

* * *

“How did you get it?” 

“Mama sent it to me. She put it in a perfume bottle.”

“Will it be enough?”

“Of _course_ , don’t think me stupid--”

Jade stopped outside of the Charity common room as Colette and her cronies’ voices floated out from the open door. Something about their tone didn’t sit right with her. 

She hovered outside of the door, wondering whether she ought to go in or not. She didn’t know Colette well--they’d been here for only three weeks, after all--but she was her next-door neighbour and Jade had been spooked by the decided way in which she’d chosen Chinhae in the Wish Fish lesson. Since then, she’d kept an eye on her, and although there was nothing about her that said she was a horrible person--she was just as caring and gracious as every other Ever in this damn place--Jade was good at detecting fakes. Plus, the way she’d been cozying up to Chinhae at every opportunity was highly irritating--

“Does it last forever?” asked one of the other students—Rupert, Jade thought his name was.

“No, it’ll have to be redone every month or so. But this bottle has enough for at least a year--”

What was it? Poison? Laxatives? Some magic beauty potion? Jade knew it was silly to be suspicious--so many things were banned this year, from certain hand creams to face masks, but…

Jade decided to wing it and barged through the door. “Has anyone seen my--oh, hi!”

Colette turned to her immediately, shoving the bottle into her pocket--Jade barely got a glimpse of it beyond pink glass. 

“Oh, hello, Jade--”

She seemed rather flustered. Jade internally ramped up her suspicion. “Sorry,” she said. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, no,” said Rupert quickly. Kelly was the other person with them--Jade didn’t know much about either of them, if she was honest. “What were you looking for?”

“Uh, my history book,” Jade lied. “But now that I think about it, it’s probably in the dining hall. I’ll look there. See you later!”

They all flashed tight smiles and stared expectantly as she backed out the door and shut it. Jade thought desperately of how to keep listening--

Her talent. 

She’d used it for espionage before. In Jaunt Jolie, it was barely a choice. It was easy to mimic the sounds of someone walking away. If she just…

As quickly as she could, Jade threw the sound of heels walking away down the hall, fading out as realistically as possible--and then waited.

After a few seconds, the conversation resumed. 

"Colette–" fretted Kelly—

"Shut up,” Colette hissed. "Shut up. She's an idiot, she's barely avoiding failing, there's no way she'll figure us out. It's fine." 

Colette was wrong.

Not necessarily about Jade being an idiot-- she _did_ say stupid things on a regular basis, and she was struggling in most lessons, to boot. But she was smart enough to listen for those few extra seconds, then take her shoes off and steal away before they emerged. She hadn’t heard much, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to be ‘figuring out’, but she had gotten enough of a bad feeling about the situation to mean she was watching very carefully the next day at lunch as Colette approached them.

“Oh, look,” said Raiden grimly as Colette sat down with them without bothering to ask if she could or not. “The President of the Chinhae Fanclub.”

Jade and Raiden had become rather fast friends over the past few weeks--they were similarly cynical, and doing similarly badly in Animal Communication, Jade because she was too loud and Raiden because he was too impatient. Also, neither of them liked Colette, which was a rarer opinion than Jade would have liked. Jade had been quick to realise that Amelie had nothing bad to say about anyone, Jackson was of a similar manner, and Marcus never said much about anything unless he was actually interested, and he couldn't have cared less about Colette.

The only people who seemed to agree with them were Rosalind and Sam, who always declined to sit with them when Colette approached. Right now they were sitting with Dominique, ignoring them.

Chinhae himself was far too polite to dissuade Colette without an extremely good reason, let alone express his actual thoughts about her, but he looked uncomfortable. He’d looked nervous around her ever since she’d drawn him in the Wish Fish lesson, and it had only increased with her growing persistence to spend every waking moment in his vicinity. Lessons, free time, meals; you name it, Colette was there. Raiden had told Jade he was convinced that avoiding Colette was Chinhae's main motive for his incredibly long baths.

Amelie, next to them, looked unusually pensive. Maybe the sight was making her nauseous. She wouldn’t be the only one; Colette was doing her usual cozying up act to Chinhae, but she'd ramped up to three thousand today. She was practically sitting on his lap. His expression made it look like he was eating gravel rather than the couscous in their lunch baskets.

“Why doesn’t he just tell her to get lost?” muttered Raiden. “Well, I know why, but..."

“Should we step in?” Jade offered.

“No, we’ll just embarrass him and offend her, and then he'll be more accommodating because he feels bad,” muttered Raiden.

"I don't think anyone could call him _accommodating_ \--" Jade snorted, but stopped abruptly, because Chinhae was speaking to Colette. Voluntarily, which she’d never thought he would do. 

“...Are you wearing different perfume?” He asked her. 

Colette beamed, rubbing her wrists together. “Yes, I’m trying it out! Do you like it?”

“It’s… strong.” 

Jade had heard stories and read tabloid features on his heightened senses before--presumably his talent--so it made sense he’d notice, but why bring it up? They all wore perfume.

“Oh, give it a minute, it’s a little harsh when you first use it. Do you want to try it? Give me your hand--”

Jade saw the same bottle that Colette had hidden yesterday and her suspicion vaulted even higher. 

Chinhae suddenly seemed supremely anxious. He was leaning back slightly, away from her, and his expression was akin to a hare about to bolt.

“No, really,” he said. “My sense of smell… it’s too much for me.”

A genuine look of anger flickered over Colette’s face, before she smoothed it over with a placating smile. Amelie shifted worriedly beside Raiden, seeming to notice something amiss, too.

Finally, the smell reached Jade. 

Her stomach dropped.

Colette’s miscalculation was something she could never have accounted for, and it was that Jade _recognised_ the scent. 

For the last twenty years, Jaunt Jolie had been home to the most corrupt Ever court by a million miles. Since Queen Jacinda died and her elder son Adrian had taken the throne, gambling, bribery, and illegal magic had become commonplace amongst the nobility, deliberately ignored by a similarly immoral King. Jade, who had spent sixteen years stuck with fan-wielding Countesses and scheming Duchesses, had come to know this smell far too well. It floated off rich women at parties, perfumed the daily cooking in six different mansions in the city, and Jade’s beautiful little sister had anyone who smelled of it within her vicinity arrested.

It was a love potion, and one hell of a strong one. For someone with Chinhae’s sense of smell, it could damn well kill him. 

“Oh, come on, just a little!” Colette wheedled, and the others were staring at her, confused, as Chinhae protested and she reached for the bottle--

Jade chucked _Winning Your Prince_ at Colette's head and hurled herself at her.

Colette shrieked in pain as the spine smacked her in the forehead, then screamed louder when Jade slammed bodily into her, knocking them both into a heap on the floor. The bottle flew out of her hand and went rolling across the grass, still corked shut.

All over the clearing, people leapt up-- Evers horrified, Nevers gleeful-- as the two Evergirls grappled in the dirt. Colette, surprised but clearly having been in a fight before, recovered quickly and swung a hit at Jade, punching her in the mouth. Jade reeled back, spitting blood, but rammed her knee into her sternum and pinned her down--

“JACKSON!” she bellowed, rearing upwards. “GET THE BOTTLE!”

Jackson, shocked at being addressed, took a second to locate it, during which Colette slammed her hands into Jade’s stomach and knocked her off of her. Both she and Jackson dove for the bottle, but Jackson was taller, and by the time Jade had gotten her bearings, he was sprinting through the trees, Colette thundering after him on her broken heels whilst the Nevers cackled hysterically with laughter--

“RUPERT!” screamed Colette. Her crony panicked and stuck out a foot to trip Jackson-- 

Jackson fell on him and the bottle went flying into a bush. Seething, Colette lunged for it--

Jade tackled her from behind.

“YOU HAG, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU, HUH, TRYING TO DRUG HIM--”

“GET OFF ME, GET OFF ME--” Colette rolled over, thumping Jade repeatedly in the chest, and they both lunged for the bottle--

Another hand came down and snatched it up.  
Jade and Colette froze as Rosalind uncorked it and sniffed it briefly.

Jade anticipated some dramatic, furious reaction. But instead, Ros just sighed, shaking her head patronisingly and handing it to Anemone, who'd come puffing up behind her. 

"That's undiluted," she informed them. “As strong as it comes.” 

Ros and everyone else looked over at Chinhae, white and silent next to Raiden and Marcus. 

“If that had touched your skin, Chae, you'd have been a helpless lovestruck idiot for at least a month. Probably more. I expect your talent would render you especially susceptible."

She looked down at Colette. "That was a dirty trick," she said, "even I wouldn't stoop to that." 

She glanced at Jade, who looked up quickly from the tear in the shoulder of her uniform, suddenly anxious.

"That was quick thinking," Ros said, “Though maybe it’s not advisable to beat up your classmates so violently, Jane. You’ve got a nosebleed.”

She left, deliberately kicking more dirt over Colette as she did so. 

“...It’s Jade.” Muttered Jade into the silence.

* * *

"I'm shocked,” Anemone proclaimed. " _Shocked_!"

Jackson thought she probably wasn’t actually that shocked. It wasn’t really a stretch of the imagination to picture Jade in a fight, he didn’t mean to get involved, and Chinhae didn't actually do any fighting. Also, the Colette factor had been looming for weeks, now he thought about it. Been lurking around Chinhae for ages. Weirdo.   
(She'd already been questioned by Professor Fournier; when they went in, she’d been lurking outside the office with the classic red F emblazoned on her uniform, and a black eye. Ha ha.) 

Jade had been grinning to herself as they'd walked in, which probably didn’t help their case. 

"What made you do it?" Anemone demanded, after not really listening to Jade’s account of events. She was ignoring Chinhae completely. Maybe she just hadn’t noticed him; he was doing a very convincing part of the wall impression.

"A family rivalry? A previous agreement? Or--" She gasped and stood rather abruptly from her armchair, waving her cane. Enthusiasm, rather than condemnation, was suddenly her primary emotion. "COMPETITION FOR CHINHAE'S LOVE?!" She boomed.

Chinhae winced, and Jade and Jackson both burst into instant denial. It would be a disaster if Anemone managed to convince Chinhae they loved him, too. Jackson’s taste in Princes was... elsewhere, and Jade was clearly just acting on instinct. 

"Nope! None of that! Just… good old-fashioned justice?" Jackson squeaked. "C'mon, Professor, she was gonna drug him!"

Anemone sighed, clearly disappointed. "I see. Well, you dealt with it most poorly, most poorly indeed…” 

“How was I supposed to deal with it?” demanded Jade.

“Well, let's think,” said Anemone, settling back into her chair. "You see the bottle, or smell it, or recognise it in some manner, and think to yourself, ‘ _Oh no! Colette's carrying thirty milliliters of the worst love drug in the Woods! I must do something!'_ What is the _logical_ thing to say, Jade?”

There was a pause. 

_"Let's get her?_ " Jade said hopefully. 

Even Chinhae's mouth twitched at that. Jackson had to turn away for a second to control his laughter.

" _No_!” barked Anemone. “You say, ‘ _Responsible Teacher! This student is breaking the rules!’_ "

"But–"

"YOU DON'T _GET_ ANYONE BECAUSE YOU ARE A PRINCESS!" Anemone cried, exasperated. "BY BIRTH, TO BOOT! YOU THREW YOURSELF AT HER LIKE A HOOLIGAN!"

"I had like…ten seconds to act!" Jade snapped, suddenly irate. "I didn't know how to handle the situation delicately, so I just jumped her, okay?!"   
Anemone looked wildly around and seemed to finally remember that Chinhae was also there. 

"Chinhae, chicken, how about you give us your recount?" 

"Oh… uh, well…" Chinhae shuffled anxiously. 

“Well, for a few weeks, now, Colette's been a bit…"

"Obsessed." Jackson supplied.

"Um… yes. She's never really outright said anything so I haven't been able to reject her without seeming rude. But today she was being really touchy and weird--"

"More touchy and weird than usual." Jade corrected--

"Whose account is this again?" Anemone said pointedly. Jade shut up. 

Chinhae twisted the edge of his waistcoat in his hands.

"I could smell something really... cloying, and sweet, from her? And it was making me feel sick, so I leant away from her a little, but she was insisting on making me try this perfume…but I had this feeling... I was refusing, but she grabbed my arm… er...and then Jade threw a book at her head and jumped on her. So."

Anemone nodded. 

"With that kind of spell, she'd have needed to put it on herself beforehand. That would be why you could smell it."

She huffed and sunk back into her chair. 

"Jade, laundry duty for a week for fighting. But for now, the infirmary. You’re bleeding on my floor. Jackson, help her for three days as you assisted her in said fighting. Chinhae, go and lie down, dearest. You're very pale."

Jackson groaned. Jade, however, brightened. 

"That's it?" She asked. Anemone frowned at her.

"What were you expecting? Despite being against the rules, you technically did defend a fellow student."

Jade blinked. “Oh, I... don’t know. Never mind. Thanks, Professor.”

* * *

As the door swung shut behind them, Jackson noticed Chinhae's hands were shaking. He felt for him; it couldn’t be nice, knowing people were willing to turn to illegal magic to get you to fall in love with them.

"Are you alright, mate?" He asked tentatively. 

"Fine,” whispered Chinhae, but in the same horrible moment, Jade and Jackson both noticed that he was on the verge of tears. 

The other two Evers exchanged panicked glances. What was the correct protocol, Jackson wondered, when you were standing in a hallway with two members of royal families, one crying, and one bleeding everywhere? 

Jade didn’t seem to know, either. But inexplicably, they came to the same conclusion, and ended up in some strange three-person frankenstein of a hug. Chinhae made a surprised sort of sound, but didn’t move to try and escape.

"Don't cry--" Jade pleaded desperately. "I knocked her for six, she won't bother you again--"

"It's not that," Chinhae said shakily. Tears were dripping on Jackson’s shoulder. (Whereas Jade, considerably shorter than the both boys, was somewhere around Jackson’s bicep.) "It sounds so narcissistic to say, but– I was just so afraid something like this would happen and now–" He gulped. "And now it has, it's awful– because I don't understand why people can't leave me alone--”

“Think they’ll leave you alone now,” muttered Jackson. 

“And if they don’t, I bet we can pay Ros to poison them,” offered Jade. 

“Not very Good of you, Jade.” 

“No teachers around, are there?” 

Chinhae spluttered a watery laugh. Vaguely, Jackson decided that if Chinhae ever let him, he’d die for him. Not as gruesomely as he’d die for Marcus, maybe, but still. He drew breath to tell him so, but Chinhae cut into his thoughts.

"Jade, are you still bleeding?"

"Er..." Jade said, and stepped away from them. There was a sizable bloodstain on the floor where she’d been standing. “Yes?”

Chinhae seemed glad to have a new focus, and took it immediately in his stride. 

"You're covered in blood,” He frowned. “Where is it even coming from? We should take you to the infirmary, like Anemone said."

"Nah, I'm alright--"

"Your ankles and knees are braced," Chinhae said, cutting into Jade's reeling off of various denials. "You're holding yourself up. Shall I carry you?" 

Jade suddenly stopped protesting. 

Jackson’s eyes narrowed.

Despite what most people tended to think, he was not actually stupid. Just because he copied off of Raiden and Marcus in History didn’t mean he knew nothing, he wasn’t a complete idiot. 

So, as Chinhae carried Jade to the infirmary and she used her embroidery practice handkerchief from Princess Etiquette to scrub blood off her teeth, Jackson was resolving to ask Amelie a few questions about her roommate and her taste in men. 

They left her at the door, mainly because she repeatedly elbowed Chinhae in the sternum until he put her down.  
"Thanks, boys," she said, straightening her skirt. Jackson saluted her.

"Thank you,” Chinhae said.

"Anything for you, darling," Jade said carelessly, now holding the handkerchief to her knees. "Let me know if you need me to fight any other overenthusiastic suitors.” 

She straightened up and looked at him for a second. "Are you sure you’re alright?" 

“I’m fine.”

But he didn’t meet her gaze, and Jade persisted.

"Come on, stick with the others for a while this evening.”

“We can play chess or something,” Jackson volunteered. Jade gave him an approving nod.

“Sounds good,” she said, “Then get some sleep. Because someone needs to drag us reprobates through Good Deeds tomorrow, yeah?" She smiled, waved, and tottered slightly unsteadily into the wing.

"Yeah," Chinhae whispered, a belated reply to her request. Jackson looked thoughtfully after her until Chinhae turned to leave and he was obliged to follow.

“Chinhae?” he said finally. 

“Yeah?”

“I don’t know how to play chess.”

Chinhae smiled. “I thought you didn’t. Come on, I can teach you. Or Marcus can.”

“Oh, okay--!”

* * *

“Interesting,” said Rosalind, not for the first time. “Very interesting.”

“Not really,” said Sam from her bed, arranging some _acquired_ earrings instead of doing her Curses and Death Traps homework. “I mean, she was just a bit bonkers for Chinhae, yeah?”

“You’d have thought," agreed Ros, “But why did Professor Fournier volunteer to be responsible for her punishment, when the others were sent to Anemone? Doesn’t it make more sense to send them all to the Dean?”

Sam thought back to watching Hephzibah haul off Colette, whilst Chinhae, Jade and Jackson trooped after Anemone. “Practicality, I guess? Separate the two sides? Dunno. What is interesting is that Jade jumped her, though. Never thought she had it in her.”

Ros shot her a glance. “What d’you you mean?”

Sam shrugged. “We spend a lot of time on the seas around good old Jaunt Jolie. I’ve seen her at some events. Thought she was a silent, spindly little thing. Never does much of interest. Doesn’t go out often. Never thought she’d try and bash someone’s head in-- though I’m mighty impressed.”

“Hm,” Ros leaned over to look out of the window, at Good across the bay. “There’s an odd feeling over in Good, I think.”

Sam squinted. “Now that you mention it...the rose thing at the Welcoming, all the new rules, now this...I guess it’s the Society idiots, innit?”

“Guess so,” murmured Rosalind, but she still looked thoughtful. “I’ll write to Alex, see what she’s got to say. See if she’s heard from our parents.”

They fell silent for a minute. Then Ros sat up.

“I forgot, I got a package from the Prince of Ravenswood--”

She rifled under her bed, and Sam raised an eyebrow. “Treated it with real care, huh?”

“He’s a haughty brat with no sense of his own repulsiveness,” said Ros. “Here--”

She chucked a box at Sam, which Sam only just caught--

She saw the rubies gleaming inside and grinned. “Hah! This’ll keep me in takeout for the whole year, I owe you one.”

“You can repay me by not fighting with Raiden when I’m within earshot,” said Rosalind, settling back on her bed again. “It gives me a headache.”

“It’s my main form of entertainment, Ros!”

“Give me those rubies back, then--”

Ros swiped for the box and Sam held it out of her reach. 

“No, no, it’s fine, I’ll tone it down, I will--”

(She won’t.)  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmm this one has a bit of a weird vibe, I think bc it's largely cobbled together of previously written extracts, but "let's get her?" will never not make me snort so?? I hope you enjoyed anyway ajsksl. Next chapter is another Alex focus! they do be out causing chaos in the woods tho


	12. I should've named THIS one 2 fast 2 alex

Alex was not a very considerate magic carpet driver.

“I AM ACTUALLY _BEGGING_ YOU TO LET ONE OF US DRIVE INSTEAD!” Sora shouted over the rush of the wind and everyone's screaming. He didn’t think Alex heard him. The carpet pitched wildly to the left and everyone but Alex flattened themselves against the fabric. 

“I’m gonna be sick,” moaned Nadiya.

“Maybe if you throw up on her, she’ll listen.” growled Sora as Alex cackled madly in front of them, zooming in and out of the way of the other riders.

“I don’t think she’s _that_ bad,” Talib said weakly, eyes screwed shut. “I mean, we haven’t crashed or fallen off, yet.”

“That’s a very low bar, my love,” said Sora, ducking as they shot under a breezeway. “She’s doing pretty much everything else wrong.”

“How high up are we?”

“You don’t want to know,” Sora told him, glancing over the edge at the dots which passed for the Kingdom of Shazabah, many feet below. 

“How long have we got left?” asked Talib hopefully. 

“I can see the old temple over there, so not long,” Sora reassured him. It was still a long way off, but Alex was going so fast they’d probably get there in less than five minutes. 

“I’m fairly sure the only reason we haven’t been chased by the Mambas yet is because we’re wearing questing uniforms,” sighed Nadiya. 

Sora had to agree. Sophie had sent them off with brand new uniforms--navy doublets and blue hunting capes embroidered with the white swan on the shoulder for the Evers, and leather waistcoats with blood red capes for the Nevers. All of them had received knee-high boots enchanted to increase running speed, and there was extra cloak embroidery for the team leaders. Sophie had insisted it would give them extra status during their quest, and in some ways, it had (they’d gotten discounts in most food places, and people tended to get out of their way when they ran past) but, in Sora’s opinion, it was just putting a huge target on their backs. They’d already heard how Gina’s team had been chased down by Stymphilian Birds, who’d been using their capes as a marker. 

He glanced back over the edge and was highly relieved to find that they were fast descending towards their destination; the somewhat morally questionable Temple Market on the edge of the city. The Sultanah of Shazabah (or as she was better known to Alex: “OY, REENA!”) had pointed them in that direction after the show last night, once they’d asked about any potential disturbances in the city. Apparently there’d been a fight there that day, which was unusual, because normally the market tried to avoid drawing attention to itself.

“That means it was caused by outsiders,” Reena had told them, admiring Alex’s terrible Tedros wig. “And it means they’ll be really indignant about it and probably willing to tell you a lot.”

So, the four of them had set off together to see what was going on.

Sora blinked, suddenly noticing the ground coming up towards them rather fast. 

“Er, Alex, maybe slow down a--”

There was a bone-rattling thud, and everything went briefly upside down.

When he came to , they were lying in a heap on a random sand dune.

“Sorry!” warbled Alex, spitting out sand. “Got distracted by a camel.”

“Why did we let you drive that thing?” barked Sora, staggering to his feet. Nadiya was groaning, still lying on her face in the sand, but Talib looked positively delighted. 

“Oh, good, we’re on land again.” He leapt down from the dune and went to retrieve the indignant carpet. “Perhaps let someone else drive on the way back,” he told Alex, shaking sand off it. 

Alex blinked. “Why, did I go too fast?” 

“Um. Yeah, a bit.” 

Sora sighed and went to retrieve Nadiya.

* * *

The market was situated inside the oldest temple in the city, a crumbling ruin of sandstone and gold leaf.

“Looks pretty cool,” said Alex, tipping sand out of her cloak hood. “So, shall we just go in and see what people have to say?”

“Could get some dinner whilst we’re here,” offered Talib. Nadiya, still somewhat nauseous, didn’t look very impressed, but Alex predictably perked up.

“Ooh, good idea! Come on, then--”

She was stopped at the gate when a knobbly cane smacked her in the ribs.

“No Evers allowed in the market.” squeaked an old, wrinkly hobgoblin from his chair.

“This is an Ever kingdom,” said Nadiya, confused. 

“Doesn’t matter!” barked the gatekeeper. “Three-week ban after what happened yesterday.”

Suddenly, all four of them were listening.

“What happened yesterday?” asked Alex. The other three leaned forwards, too--this looked promising. They’d all assumed it was usual Never shenanigans. For it to be related to Evers was intriguing. 

The hobgoblin puffed indignantly on his pipe, releasing a cloud of aniseed-smelling smoke (Alex sneezed) and briefly obscured himself from view. “Prim and proper business types. Pushy. Looking for Nina, our unusual creature breeder. Don’t know what she told them, but they got angry, and a fight broke out. They went running off. Loads of damage to our stalls. So no, you can’t come in. Turn around.”

“We’re Good students,” Alex explained. “We’re here on a quest, it’s kind of important--”

“Don’t care. Bye-bye.” 

Alex frowned. Sora started going through their options. Usually, they had four, which were as followed: a) just run and hope for the best (favoured by Alex), b) try and talk their way out of it (favoured by Talib), c) try and lightly abuse Alex’s status (favoured by Sora), or d) come up with a real plan (favoured by Nadiya).

Today, Sora decided to use C, but with a twist.   
“I don’t think Akiyama Emi would be very impressed to find out you weren’t giving her grandson access to your market,” he said, shoving his way to the front. 

The hobgoblin’s face soured. “Ah,” he said. Sora knew it was impossible not to see the resemblance-- round but distinctly not-sweet face, proud profile, heavy eyebrows. Raiden, more angular and amiable-looking than Sora and Emi, usually had more of a problem with the claim.

Plus, Emi was a very good customer of this market. Half of their (somewhat dubious) food supplies came from here, as well as the stock of weapons she kept under the floorboards. 

“Well,” said the hobgoblin. “I suppose I could let you in… your friends would have to stay out here, but…”

As far as Sora could see, that was as good as they were going to get.

“Alright,” he said, “But I’m bringing my bodyguard.”

* * *

“Bodyguard?” said Talib. 

“Somehow I think he’d have been less impressed if I’d said _boyfriend_ ,” said Sora, peering at stalls as they passed them. Weapons ( _next-day siege weapon delivery for all your conquering needs!_ ) armour ( _Spirit-crafted ice breastplate and helmet, guaranteed to turn every blade!* *Except dragon fire-infused swords. If someone comes at you with one of them you should probably just run._ ) and poisons ranging from “ _diarrhea at royal dinner party_ ” to “ _death by natural causes_ ” to “ _cold before you hit the ground_ ” were the main events, but there were plenty of other, smaller stalls. 

“Boil potions?” asked Talib doubtfully, eyeing the table closest to them, crammed with tiny glowing bottles. 

“Look like the ones June tried to use on Sophie in third year,” mused Sora. 

“I thought she brewed them herself?”

“That’s just what she told her so she wouldn’t search her mail whilst she was in the Doom Room. Where’s this magical creature breeder, then?”

Talib, tall enough to see over most people’s heads, looked this way and that, whilst Sora examined a rack of Never gossip magazines. They all claimed that Rosalind, Alex and Agatha were part of a plot to off Tedros and make Camelot a Never kingdom, and Rosalind was planning to kill Marcus in the Trial by Tale because he was still loyal to Tedros.

He bought a copy for Alex.

“Over there,” said Talib presently, pointing across at a large stall in the corner of the temple, stacked with cages and crates. 

“Great, let’s go--”

“She’s going to be able to tell we’re Evers,” whispered Talib, eyeing everyone else around them. “We’re too obvious.”

Having left their capes with Alex, Sora hoped desperately that they could pass for Nevers. He had a mean enough resting face, and while Talib…well, didn’t, he was over six feet and heavily muscled, so with any luck he’d get a wide berth. But at the same time, they clearly didn’t belong…

They made their way over to the stall, where a short, purple-skinned woman was standing behind the counter glaring at passers-by. Sora adopted his best imitation of his grandmother’s imperious expression. 

“If you ain’t gonna buy anything, you can turn right back around,” Nina grouched the second they arrived. 

Sora hesitated, unsure how to go about questioning her. 

“Um, well, we heard that yesterday--”

“Yesterday? If you’re after my reptiles as well, you can piss off.”

“They were after reptiles?” asked Sora, leaning forward. Nina eyed them doubtfully.

“What are you, private investigators? Look too young for that. There was a fight. What else is there to tell.”

Sora scowled, drumming Alex’s magazine on his palm.

“Um, we’re not--” began Talib--

“Akiyama,” Nina pointed a purple finger at Sora. “You’re an Akiyama. I’d recognise that impatience anywhere.”

“Um,” Sora slowly lowered the magazine. “Yes, I’m… Emi’s grandson.”

Sora had been intending to keep it quiet once they actually got _in_ here, since his grandmother wasn’t exactly in short supply of enemies, or people she’d offended in her rather long life. 

Nina cackled. “ _Hah_! Thought I recognised you! I went to school with Emi. Menace, that woman. That makes you both Evers, I guess, but I’ll let it slide--what do you want, eh? I got some mini rabbit-cat hybrids in just the other day, I’ll give you them on discount--”

Sora smiled weakly, grateful that Alex wasn’t there to get distracted and try and buy something. “Er, no. Actually, we’re on our fourth year quest, and we were wondering what happened yesterday? It might be important.”

Nina looked surprised. “Really? Well, I don’t know how much I can tell you. Posh Ever types, matching clothes. Came asking about reptiles, saying they were looking to see if I had anything against regulation. We get pretty routine checks, especially on reptiles, when people can be breeding dragons and drakes and exotic snakes and all sorts. But I’m not a complete idiot, I don’t have any non-regulation reptiles…not here anyway,” she grinned. “I said no, and they insisted that someone had told them I had, and they were looking to buy. I told them I don’t sell to Evers and they kicked off. Eventually set one of my carnivorous macaws on them.”

“Oh,” said Sora. “That’s… fun.”

“They probably went to find someone shadier and less inclined to ignore Ever custom.” said Nina dismissively. “Well, they’ll get stuck with some untrained beast that no one will be able to control, if that’s the case. Hey, now I think about it, they left some stuff behind. You can have it, if you like.”

She dumped a pile of paper and ripped fabric into Talib’s hands. 

“That’s about it,” she said. “But let me know if I can help any more. How’s your grandmother?”

“Fine,” Sora shrugged. “Fighting the rest of Empress Mika’s court and writing to Raiden to find out the recent School for Good drama. No idea why she’s interested.”

“Because she went to the Snow Ball with Emma Anemone, I should think,” said Nina.

Sora blinked.

“I’m sorry, she-- wait, _what_?”

“You didn’t know? That was the scandal around Emma’s ball date,” yawned Nina, exposing purple-tinted teeth. “None of the boys would ask her, since she was a bit… ah, eccentric, making earrings out of dolls and things. She cried for three days, until Emi got fed up with her wailing at mealtimes and said she’d go with her. Since she was a Never and a girl, the staff were furious, but since Emma technically had a date, they couldn’t fail her. They amended the rulebook to say it had to be Everboys with Evergirls after that, until that got uprooted about thirty years ago. I guess maybe Emi became quite fond of her, in the end.”

Sora, who had never heard this story before, stared at her. The only partner he’d ever known Emi to have was his presumed grandfather, who had never been in the picture, and Emi didn’t seem to be interested in talking about him.

“She never told me that,” he floundered. 

“Clearly,” snorted Nina. 

* * *

Alex and Nadiya were still at the gate when they returned--the hobgoblin guard was ignoring them, and they were examining a huge wall of banned-people posters.

“Look!” said Alex, as they approached. “It’s Seohun.”

“It’s Seohun _twice_ ,” said Nadiya, eyeing the two posters side by side. “What’d he do?”

“Min Seohun is banned for selling false contraband for profit and then refusing to pay us back once we determined it was fake,” sniffed the hobgoblin. “He sent the second poster because he claimed the first one was unflattering.”

Sora looked at the second poster. He was wearing a powder blue wig and winking. Nadiya snorted. 

“What was he selling?”

“Mostly faux Prince Chinhae merchandise. Fake hair clippings, forged autographs, non-official paintings and promises of interviews that always fell through.”

Sora groaned, wondering how Eunha had let him get away with that. Alex laughed. 

“And he always caused disturbances. We might be a Never market, but he was a huge liability…” the hobgoblin stopped suddenly. “Do you know him?”

“Um, no,” Sora lied.

“Yeah!” said Alex. “I know Seohun. He stayed with us this summer.”

The hobgoblin turned to stare at them.

* * *

  
“I didn’t say I condoned his stupid black market _scamming_!” barked Alex, nursing bruised shins from where the hobgoblin had whaled on her with his walking stick. 

“I think that was just the last straw, to be honest,” said Sora, having wrested control of the carpet from Alex the second they left. “He wanted us gone since the minute we arrived. Alex, _why_ is this restaurant you’re bringing us to in the middle of nowhere?”

“It’s not far, just keep looking east,” insisted Alex. “At least, I think it was east. I was like 7 the last time I was here, but… pretty sure.”

Sora shot Talib a doubtful glance, but just as he opened his mouth to question her, Nadiya pointed. “Is that it?”

Sora followed her gaze to a squat little tiki hut in the middle of the dunes, glimmering with numerous lights and baubles. He pulled the carpet into a descent, eyebrows raised. “Well, what do you know, you were right. How’d you know this was here?”

“It’s Reena’s mother’s restaurant,” said Alex, as Sora pulled the carpet into a much more controlled dive than she had, earlier. “It’s near the cave where my dad tricked that genie. We come here every time we’re nearby!”

She hopped off the carpet before it was properly landed and went scrabbling across the dunes towards _The Mirage: Best Food In The Desert. Appearing Nightly!_

“Should’ve guessed,” grumbled Sora, as Talib rolled up the carpet and slung it across his shoulders. “Damn family connections.”

“You just abused your own to get yourself into that market,” pointed out Nadiya, looking far less nauseous now Alex wasn’t driving the carpet.   
Sora pretended not to hear her, and the three of them slid after Alex, who was already trotting over to the door. 

“Speaking of,” said Nadiya as they caught up with her, “did you find anything?”

Sora frowned. “Not sure. I’ll look through the things she gave us when we’re inside. She didn’t say much more than we already knew.”

They reached Alex, talking emphatically to the scrawny server on the door, who looked skeptical. 

“Great,” said Sora. “I bet there’s some catch she’s not telling us, like she offended them all or something--”

The server was suddenly barged aside by an old woman, resplendent in a sequined headscarf and tunic. 

“Alex!” she boomed gleefully. “Reena told me you were coming! I love catering for questing teams, come in, come in--”

* * *

  
“So, what did we find?” asked Nadiya once Alex was the only one still physically able to eat. 

Talib produced the pile of paper and fabric from his pockets and Sora frowned. 

“Not a lot. She said she had two Ever types coming to ask about reptiles, non-regulation ones. She refused, because she suspected an inspection and also because she doesn’t sell them to Evers, and they got really angry, so she set a carnivorous macaw on them.”

“Ooh,” Alex stuffed the remains of the last samosa into her mouth. “Pretty one-sided fight from then on, yeah?”

“Probably,” snorted Sora. “But she gave us the things they left behind.”

They spread them out on the table-- several blank pieces of paper, random bits of purple thread and fabric, a few Shazabah coins…nothing of note except for one thing; a piece of ripped, mangled card, with the faded words _virtu l mora._

They passed it around, each trying their own country’s language and any other they knew, trying to see if it translated to anything, but it didn’t. The secondary language in Camelot seemed hopeful, but Alex said it was nonsense.

“The tenses don’t match up, and even in a literal translation, it’s gibberish. I mean, no one’s going to have a bit of paper that says _power-- L-- delay_ , are they?” she explained. “Sounds like a maths thing.” 

They tried matching the first letters, but VLM didn’t mean anything, and neither did any of the other combinations they attempted. Alex held it over the candles to see if there were any hidden letters in invisible ink, they all prodded it with their glowing fingers, and they turned it upside down just for good measure.

“No, the rest of the letters must just be missing where it’s been ripped off or smudged.” sighed Nadiya after about ten minutes of useless effort. “It’s clearly in Traders.”

“What are the words then?” asked Sora, squinting at it. “Virtue? Moral? What's the “L” got to do with anything?”

“With that sort of language, it sounds like it should be from school,” mused Nadiya. “Library of Virtue, isn’t there?”

“Doesn’t look like the inside of the library books,” said Talib, who’d worked as a student librarian in second and third year. “Don’t suppose the other Evers were another questing team, were they?”

“I’m sure someone would have contacted us to make fun of them if they’d been attacked by a carnivorous macaw,” said Sora. “And what would they want with reptiles? The other quests have nothing to do with it. Stopping a coup in Foxwood, guarding the elderly Princess of Pumpkin Point, trying to sow discord in the King of Ravenswood’s court, breaking into Gepetto’s workshop to spill his trade secrets… they don’t need anything like that.”

They all fell silent, thoughtful. Alex started eating the cucumber and mint dip with a spoon. 

“Nina didn’t seem particularly worried, but we didn’t tell her what our quest was,” said Talib, finally. “Another Ever-Never fight…”

“I mean, it’s not unusual for them to happen,” said Alex. “There’s brawls in Maker’s Market all the time. But the difference is, those are usually pretty surface level, and they have a blatant cause--big beefy man hit other big beefy man, or whatever. These being so secretive is weird. I’m convinced this has something to do with it, and it feels really familiar…”

She glared at the card for a minute, as if she could just scare it into explaining itself. Sora grimaced. Alex was a fountain of knowledge for the vast majority of Ever going-ons (she might not have listened in a lot of court meetings, but she’d picked things up anyway) but her easily distracted, fast-moving brain meant she forgot important things often. She could link things up at lightning speed, but if she couldn’t remember the things she needed to link up... 

That was what the rest of the team were for--to remind her and to keep her on track--and they worked together wonderfully well, but it did make for moments like this, where they got stuck. But for Sora, this time felt different. 

“Alex is right,” he said. “Something is odd about all this. We just don’t know what. But it’s our business to find out, right?”

Alex brightened. “Yeah! It’s the whole point of our quest. We should send the fragment back to Anemone, see if she can match it to anything at school, and we’ll keep an eye on things until she gets back to us. Where are we going next, Hamelin?”

“Yeah, Hamelin,” said Sora, checking the schedule in his top pocket. “Hey, speaking of Anemone, you’ll never guess what I found out at the market--”

In their incredulity at the story, they failed to notice the two figures at the table behind them, swathed in purple cloaks, frantically scribbling a message of their own. 

A messenger hawk passed them, flying the opposite way as they took the carpet back to the theatre. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh oh lmao they're on the right track and people aren't liking it. I had great fun with this chapter lmao I hope you enjoyed!!!


	13. this chapter is a surprise tool that will help us later

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" pressed Amelie for what had to be the thirtieth time this evening.

"Yeah, fine, fine," grunted Jade, scrabbling onto her bed. She grinned. "Better than Colette." 

"I don't think Colette looks quite as… bloody," Amelie said weakly, gazing at Jade's bloodstained knees. 

Jade shrugged and went back to peeling her bandages off. It was the first opportunity she'd had to sit down and gather her thoughts since The Colette Incident, as she'd dubbed it, since the nymphs in the infirmary had spent the whole time telling her off, and dinner had been full of people running up to high-five her, demanding to see her injuries, or glaring at her across the hall.   
So when Amelie opened her mouth again, Jade cut her off.

"Am. It's very sweet of you to keep asking, but it's really not that bad. I'll just chill here for a few minutes, then I'll go and have a bath. Okay? It's fine."

Amelie clamped her mouth shut and nodded vigorously. Jade smiled at her, and was pleased to receive one back. Amelie had been very jittery since lunchtime, almost as unsettled by Colette's scheme as Chinhae himself. It probably didn't help that her roommate had been beaten bloody during said scheme, but Jade was pretty proud of herself.

She flopped back on her bed, feeling serene for the first time today--

That was, until Rosalind jumped through the open window.

Jade bolted up, shocked, and hit her head on one of the posts on her bed. Amelie dropped her charm bracelet into their marble washbasin. 

"What the--" began Jade, but Ros shot her an irritated glance.

"Shut up," she muttered. She slammed the window shut and crouched under the sill. Jade and Amelie stared at her, stunned, as she watched the fairy patrol zoom by, chattering furiously amongst themselves. 

There was a minute or so. Jade and Amelie stared at Ros. Ros stared at the window…

"Think they're gone," Ros stood, straightening her uniform. "God, they're cretins. So easy to trick."

A pause. Amelie seemed to have lost the power of speech, so Jade posed the question: “Um. What are you doing?"

"Hiding from the fairy patrol. Came to give Mark a letter, got caught on the way back and had to run."

"Couldn't you have given it to someone at lunch?"

"Well, I was going to, but lunch was rather… busy," said Ros, eyeing Jade's scraped knees. 

"...fair enough," said Jade. She probably could have still given it to one of them, or Sophie, but Jade was harbouring a suspicion that she'd been here for something more nefarious. "Bigger question: did you _climb_ across to this window? In those boots?"

"Yes," Ros said simply. "No one saw me. Most people are in the common rooms. I was expecting this room to be empty, I admit."

Jade stared at her, wondering why Purity, which was to the back of the castle and facing only the moat and the woods behind the school, was so preferable. "Oh. Cool. How did you even get into Good in the first place, though?"

Ros fixed her with a stare. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

Jade went red. "Just wondering."

"So I see," Ros turned to peer out of the window. "Will they come back this way?" 

Jade shrugged.

Amelie, however, seemed to spring to life. "No! Their patrol changes to the common rooms and the bathrooms from now until curfew…" She trailed off, clearly embarrassed. Rosalind, however, seemed pleased; she offered Amelie a rare smile and put her foot on a carved prince's head, hauling herself back onto the windowsill.

"Why, thank you, that's very useful. At least someone knows. Don't suppose you know all the patrol timetables, do you?"

Amelie nodded weakly. "I do, actually. I can write them down for you…?"

Jade stared at her. "How do you know all of the--"  
"That would be wonderful," interrupted Rosalind. "Thank you, sweetheart." 

She nudged the latch with her heel and the window swung open.

"Be careful!" blurted Amelie. 

"I'm always careful,” Ros said breezily. She waved, shot Jade a suspicious look, and stepped out onto the ledge. She cast a glance around, swung across to the next windowsill, and was gone.

"How does she not fall and die?" demanded Jade loudly, the second she was gone. "Actually, scratch that, she's probably cheating with magic or something. I wonder how she got in?"

She headed for the window, but Amelie grabbed her blouse. "Don't! You might draw attention to her."

Jade turned--

A suspicion came to her.

"Amelie."

"Yes?"

"Are you _helping Rosalind sneak into Good_?"

Amelie's eyes went massive. "No! I mean, when I walked her back to Evil the other day, I might have told her when the teacher's meals are, and the fastest way to get to each tower, but--"

"You're helping Rosalind sneak into Good!" said Jade, amazed. "I bet you told her to come in here to hide, didn't you?"

"I admit I thought she'd use the door," mumbled Amelie, wringing her skirt nervously. "I hope she doesn't hurt herself."

"She's _Ros_ ," Snorted Jade. "She's too haughty to die, let alone in something so undignified as falling down the cliff at the back of this place. The Grim Reaper himself could come right up to her, she'd tell him he was pathetic, and he'd probably agree and go cry." She frowned at her roommate.   
"Do you know how she's getting across?"

"No," said Amelie. "I just know it's not the sewers or Halfway Bridge, because there's wolf patrols in both. I think they also blocked the sewers off." 

"Huh," Jade considered this-- 

She raised her eyebrows.

"You learned the patrol timings and the staff meal schedule to _impress Rosalind_?"

Amelie pretended not to hear her, fishing around in the basin to retrieve her bracelet. Jade sighed.  
"She doesn't like me, I can tell. I bet it's because of my bloody father." She dropped back onto her bed, frowning. The bit she didn't say was that she desperately wished Ros would like her. She's always thought she was cool.

"I don't think she dislikes you," said Amelie, but she didn't sound very convinced. 

"Maybe," Jade smiled weakly, but she wasn't convinced either. _The Evil forgive_ was not a rule, and even if it was, she doesn't think Ros would be inclined to follow it.

* * *

"I see you enjoyed our jaunt into Enlightenment and Enchantment," said Ros dryly, back in Malice half an hour later.

"Yeah, it was very productive," Yawned Sam, spinning a necklace on her finger. 

"Was it, now?" Rosalind thought it had probably been productive in more than one way.

Sam eyed her. "You didn't see anything."

"Not a thing," Ros agreed, sitting down on her bed and stripping off her wet stockings. "I merely have some… suspicions."

"Well, no one else does, so keep them to yourself, yeah?"

"Sure," said Ros, setting her boots out to dry. "You'll be caught eventually, though."

"No one'll be surprised," said Sam regretfully, setting the necklace back in her box of _acquired_ jewellery.

"That, we can both agree on," said Ros. It was blindingly obvious, really.

"I owe you one for showing me that way in, though,” said Sam, wringing out her skirt. "Had no idea the moat was so shallow."

"It needs to be, it's an evacuation route," Ros shrugged. "The tunnels we went through were added after the One True King nonsense, as a way to get students out in case of emergency." 

"How d'you even know about it?"

"Only Deans are supposed to know, but the graduating class at the time-- my parent's class-- knew about it, so my Dad told Alex, and Alex told me. She never used them, though." 

"Nepotism," snorted Sam.

"Nepotism that's allowing you to sneak into Good, Sammy."

"Oy, don't call me that--"

"So _Raiden_ can call you that and I can't?"

"I can't stop Akiyama from doing that,” Sam sniffed. 

" _Really_." 

"What lessons have we got tomorrow?" Demanded Sam in a hamfisted attempt at changing the subject. Ros smiled innocently at her.

"Curses and Death Traps first. And then…"

"Oh, no--"

" _Double_ Surviving Fairy Tales, with your favourite ever person, Sammy!" 

Sam groaned and went stomping off to have a shower.

* * *

"--what do these two failures, specifically, have in common?" Sophie demanded the next morning, slashing a circle around the villain's names with her sharpened nail on the patch of ice that passed for a blackboard.

The class was silent. Dominique looked bored. Sam was staring out of the window. Rosalind, however, frowned at the names-- _The Evil Queen (Snow White)_ and _The Wicked Fairy (Sleeping Beauty)_. She was sure she'd read something about this in the library at home. It was one of the books on the reading list the school had sent-- what was it called? _Never Successful: A Comprehensive History Of What The Villains Did Wrong_ , that was it. It had been the new edition, containing Rafal, Evelyn Sader, Rhian, and Japeth, but these examples were old. And yet--

Suddenly, she remembered the passage.

"They were the worst for underestimating their opponents," she said, realising the answer. "The Evil Queen never expected Snow White to let her be punished--she thought she'd forgive her--so she got cocky, and went to the wedding, where she was forced to dance to death. The Wicked Fairy thought Prince Phillip would never be able to defeat her, but he was a lot stronger than she thought, and he had Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather with him."

Sophie grinned at her. 

"Exactly right, darling. A word to the wise: never underestimate your Nemesis, or any enemy you happen to come across. Evil is terrible for making assumptions about Good, and when they turn out to be false, they can have disastrous consequences. Never assume you know the full story, and _always_ be prepared for your plan to go wrong…"

Rosalind, satisfied with her answer, leant back in her chair. Thus far, her ranks had been good-- _extremely_ good, in fact. She was #1 on the leaderboard. Despite sneering at anyone who'd said the same, she'd harboured some misgivings about being from an Ever household, thinking it might cause her to trail behind, but it seemed not. She was getting a long way with confidence, actually doing the homework, and a healthy amount of cheating in Surviving Fairy Tales and (ironically) Special Talents.

"So, homework this week!" Said Sophie, to groans from the class. "1500 word analysis on a specific villain's wrongdoings. So, Niko can do Jafar…Samiya, Hook…"

And just like that, Rosalind remembered why her aunt annoyed her so. Either she didn't remember Sam was related to Hook, or didn't care that she was making her write an essay on his downfall. Classic Sophie, really--

"And Rosalind, you can do _Rafal_."

Rosalind concealed her scowl until they were fully out of the classroom. 

"She wants to train me up to be a mini-her," She grouched to Sam as they elbowed their way through the throng of Nevers shoving through the corridors to their next class. "But she knows I don't like her, so she's trying to force me to appreciate her. If she wanted a guaranteed protégé, she should have sucked it up and had her own child."

"Nah, you're joking," snorted Sam. "Babies smell. And spew. She'd hate it."

"True," conceded Rosalind. "The only reason she tolerated me and my siblings is because we're _Aggie's_. I thought she could probably _acquire_ a child above vomiting age somehow. But I appear to be more convenient."

They dodged a taller classmate's elbow and skirted the statue of Sophie in the Entrance Hall, making for the doors. The Evil corridors in-between lessons were pure carnage, despite Sophie's Hephizbah-guided attempts to install hall-monitors at the start of the year. It had worked...until they'd started getting self-important. Grabbing people for talking too loud, kicking people for walking too fast, and basically testing how far they could go with any student they deemed an easy target. After the third time Haru had tried to cut Rosalind's ponytail off, and Belladonna had thrown a rock at Dominique, they'd all started _disappearing_ , and turning up in odd places, like the moat (at midnight), the Tunnel Of Trees (suspended upside down), and the bridge to Sophie's tower (hog-tied).

Shortly after, the Hall-Monitors had been dissolved, and Sophie had broken the news to Professor Fournier that Good discipline didn't really work in Evil.

Now, Rosalind eyed the Evers as they approached the Blue Forest-- they seemed to be all in one big group today, which was suspicious. Whatever today's challenge was, it was going to require everyone.

Arethusa waited for them all to arrive somewhat impatiently, and started explaining as the last few Nevers were crossing the lawn:

"Evers have ten flags. Nevers want the flags. Evers want to keep the flags. Nevers steal as many flags as possible. Evers try and defend their flags. No rules besides _no killing, no maiming, and no unauthorised spells._ Talents are fair game. Everyone also gets one weapon-- _which have all been made non-lethal_." 

(The Nevers booed.)

"Choose." 

She pointed briskly to an assortment of weapons, and stood scowling as the inevitable crush of everyone diving for the good swords commenced. Rosalind stood back, uninterested. She was decent with the sword and slightly better with a knife-- Tedros had emphatically made sure they all had some level of combat competency-- but it wasn't as if she needed anything. 

She watched with raised eyebrows as Raiden returned, a musket across his lap. "So you're playing, are you?

"Not as if I need to run anywhere, sweetheart, we're on defence. They can just park me somewhere with someone who can stop me getting ambushed, and I'll take potshots at you lot."

Rosalind, who knew Raiden was a horribly good shot, eyed the musket warily. "What's it loaded with?" 

"I think it's just paintballs," said Raiden, sounding rather disappointed. "But they still hurt like a bitch if you're hit, and mark you out in the forest. Still, Sammy has spindle darts in her crossbow, which only make you drowsy, so I think I came out better." 

Ros shook her head at him. "51% Good, Akiyama. I'm telling you."

Raiden cackled and turned away to talk to Marcus. Rosalind looked over the rest of the group--Sam, loading her crossbow with enthusiasm, Jackson, swinging a massive sword around with seemingly no effort, Colette, sulking at the back and seemingly unarmed, Chinhae with double swords and Marcus with a hunting knife, Jade (ugh, Jade, talking as loudly as ever) shoving daggers into her belt, and--

Amelie, standing off to the side, clutching a small knife and looking absolutely petrified.

Rosalind's eyes swung to her classmates, and found most of them looking in the same direction, seemingly having located an easy target.

Her eyes narrowed. 

* * *

  
"I don't like this!" Amelie babbled desperately to Jade and Raiden as they waited by their flag. "I've never done anything like this before. I thought they'd teach us some more stuff in Swordplay before doing anything like this, but they're just throwing us in the deep end…"

"Have to learn somehow," Jade said cheerfully. "Best learning is by experience."

"What if we get hurt?"

"We won't die or anything, it's fine, they're just the Nevers. Anyway, it's good prep for the trial!" 

Amelie didn't feel convinced. She probably didn't look it, either, because Raiden reached up and patted her elbow.

"It's alright, that’s why Marcus put you with me and Chae. We can keep an eye on you."

"Am I included in that you?" Asked Jade, amused. 

"I have no doubt you could go pretty feral in a fight, but considering you fall over quite a lot in Swordplay… yes," said Raiden. "Sorry."

"Jade's quite good with knives, though," said Chinhae diplomatically.

"Thanks," snorted Jade. "But Raiden's right. I overbalance when I have swords, I'm too little to hold them."

"That's a terrible excuse," said Raiden.

"No, it's not--!"

Amelie, listening to their bickering, was slightly cheered, but she still felt unnerved. It had been a good twenty minutes and she'd still yet to see any of the Nevers. They'd been given fifteen minutes to plan before being sent in, and Marcus had immediately been nominated as their strategist, obviously. But Amelie didn't think the Nevers had one, which probably meant they were all doing their own thing.

"Wonder what Ros is gonna try," mused Raiden. "She'll probably cheat with her talent, but--"

"Her fire magic?" Asked Jade.

"Er, yeah," said Raiden, shooting Chinhae a glance Amelie couldn't read. 

"I don't know how she could do that," frowned Jade. "Forest fire?"

"She _would_ ," snorted Raiden. "But no, maybe that's a bit too much for some random lesson."

Amelie glanced down the line of Evers stationed at intervals around the flags. "Where's Jackson?" she asked.

"I sent him down on one of the patrols," answered an approaching Marcus. "He's strong enough to hold his own against any attacks and fast enough to run back to warn us--"

Just as he said it, shouts and clashes of swords, along with the sounds of sprinting and laughing, erupted from the trees to their left. Marcus turned and shouted to the Evergirls in the centre, who came rushing over--some enthusiastic, some reluctant.

"Raiden, take the right side in case this is a distraction," Marcus commanded.

"Oh, _goody_ ," said Raiden, and lifted his musket. "Come on, Amelie, Jade."

Jade complied immediately, but Amelie followed slightly more warily. She usually spent most of Swordplay and Weapons Training worrying about her own lack of talent, so she'd never seen Raiden shoot before. 

"No one's going to try this side, are they?" She asked worriedly as they stopped on the other side.

"Probably," murmured Raiden, scanning the trees with an unusually piercing eye. "I think--" 

He paused.

Then, in one swift movement, he lifted the musket onto his shoulder, cocked it, and fired. There was a muffled screech and the distinctive thud of someone hitting the ground from high up. Amelie watched, mouth open, as a Nevergirl she thought was called Belladonna bolted up from the leaves at the base of the blue oak tree, yellow paint splattered across her cloak.

"Nice try," Raiden said kindly. "Bring any friends?"

She glared at him. 

"That's a yes, isn't it?" Muttered Jade.

"Definitely," Raiden agreed. "Can you tell them to piss off?”

Belladonna, lurching to her feet, did not reply. Instead, someone threw something out of the trees at them. Amelie and Jade lurched back, shocked--

Raiden shot it through, and all three of them ducked as it exploded with an ear-splitting scream.

"Someone's making Banshee Bombs?" Gasped Amelie.

"Oh, of course that's what it was," sighed Raiden. "Would have knocked us out if it had exploded on our level. I thought it was just a stun bomb, but I suppose they snuck these in." 

"You're a little bit _too_ good," said Jade, picking bits of mud out of her hair. "I worry."

"Well, don't, my grandmother loves it," Said Raiden. "Anyone else in there?" He called out to the trees.

The trees did not respond.

"Where's Sammy?" Frowned Raiden. "Did she get beaten up by Jackson?"

No response.

"Raiden, I don't like this," Amelie worried. "Can we go back to Chinhae and Marcus?"

"...Yeah, alright," Said Raiden, noticing how scared she looked. "Come on, then."

"Was that a banshee bomb?" Demanded Marcus, running up to them before they'd even made it halfway back. 

"Looks that way," said Raiden, reloading as Jade maneuvered his chair back to the centre of the flags. "Clever, aren't they? What's happening over there?"

"They backed off once our patrol caught them." Said Marcus, eyeing the forest. "I made some changes to our backups, because I think they're going to--"

That was when the Nevers apparently got bored, and the forest exploded.

"Yeah, that," sighed Marcus, watching the black-uniformed figures drop from the trees. "If they were going to try that, they really should have climbed the trees more quietly."

* * *

Amelie had to admit, she didn't do a lot of fighting. Mostly, she stood behind Raiden and Jade, the former of whom was having _far_ too much fun with the combat mode on his chair, some mildly dubious spell which made it far more manoeuvrable-- waiting until Nevers were nearly upon them before turning and deliberately aiming for black uniforms where the paint would mark them out. Amelie had been sure they wouldn't be painful, but apparently they at least stung, because Haru had taken to swearing at Raiden from a distance whilst nursing several red welts on his arm.

Nearby, Chinhae and Jackson were clearly the swordsmen to aim for-- Jackson was strong enough to mow most opponents down before they even managed to think of a spell, and Amelie had watched him physically carry someone across to the Blue Brook to throw them in. Chinhae wasn’t as strong, but he was fast. He seemed to anticipate moves before they were made, and Amelie was sure that was a result of his talent—he could probably sense shifts in stance, or changes in breathing could give him clues. Interesting, actually--

So interesting that she didn't notice someone was approaching, until she was grabbed from behind.

She shrieked and delivered a good blow to assailant's chest, but whoever it was--she thought it was Niko-- just laughed and carried on, dragging her away from the flags, where no one seemed to have noticed, probably because there was currently a storm spell being cast, and everyone was screaming--

Niko suddenly stopped, and Amelie tried to struggle again, but he grabbed her arms to stop her.

"I swear I just saw--"

There was a purple flash from behind them, and Niko yelled, loosening his grip on her. Someone slammed into Amelie, who fell, and both she and the mystery attacker tumbled down the nearby hill, crashing through shrubs. Branches and holly scratched at Amelie’s legs, twigs snapped--

They landed in a heap at the base of the hill. Coughing, Amelie opened her eyes--

"Sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen, I forgot the hill was there,"

Amelie's eyes widened.

Rosalind was leaning over her, a long scratch adorning her usually porcelain cheek, and looking unusually dishevelled.

“I--”

“Are you alright?”

Amelie opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Rosalind’s hair had come undone. She smelled like jasmine. 

“Um. I… yes!” she bolted up. “I’m fine, just fine.”

Ros sat back on her haunches, sweeping her curtain of hair behind her, and looked curiously at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, yes, I should get back to the flags--” Amelie tottered to her feet, and Rosalind put out a hand to steady her. She glanced down at Rosalind’s hand on her arm--

“Why did you do that?” she blurted. “Help me, I mean?”

Rosalind looked at her, slowly letting go of her arm. “Well,” she said. “Maybe I just wanted to get you out of the way so we could steal more flags.”

Amelie frowned at her. “I don’t think so. I’m not a very good fighter, and Niko was already doing that, so why would you stop him?”

Rosalind smiled at her. “Perceptive, aren’t you?”

Amelie blinked. “I… not really.”

Ros stood, straightening her skirt and smoothing her hair out. 

“What’s the real reason?” pressed Amelie.

“Hmm?”

“The real reason you got him out of the way, for me. It’s not helping you win.”

Rosalind didn’t reply. Instead, she started picking twigs out of Amelie’s hair. Amelie stared at her, confused. She was bleeding from the cut on her cheek. “Here,” she dug in her pocket and produced a handkerchief. Ros reached for it, but Amelie pulled it back. 

“Don’t be silly, you can’t see it. Here--” 

She carefully wiped the blood and dirt from the scratch--it was fairly shallow, but looked very stark compared to how pale Rosalind was. Ros didn’t do anything--just stood and picked at her perfect nails until Amelie was done.

"Thank you for your help, yesterday," she murmured.

Amelie, in the process of replacing her handkerchief, clutched her charm bracelet nervously. "I don't know what you mean."

Rosalind raised her eyebrows, then smirked.   
"Sure. My mistake." 

Amelie smiled tentatively back, glad she was playing along. 

More shouting erupted above them. Rosalind looked sharply up the bank, suddenly serious again.

“You know,” she said thoughtfully. “I think I would rather like to take one of those flags.”

“I… think I’m supposed to stop you,” said Amelie. 

Rosalind looked at her.

“Catch me, then.” 

Then she was running, scaling the bank with surprising nimbleness. Amelie scrambled after her, but much slower--she had to admit, she had no intention of stopping Rosalind.

None at all. 

* * *

  
In the end, Rosalind actually got two. The Good team managed to win, keeping six out of ten, but Rosalind and Dominique, between them, got the four that Evil retrieved, so also got high marks.

“How didn’t everyone see you?” demanded Amelie, chasing after her as she sauntered back to the schools with the two white flags tied around her waist. 

“Idiots, aren’t they?” Rosalind said easily. 

“Raiden did, but I was too close range to shoot, so he just hit me in the hip with the musket.”

“Didn’t stop you, did it?” said Jade.

“It _hurt_ , though,” snapped Rosalind. 

Jade looked down quickly. 

“How did you get away?” pressed Amelie. Ros shrugged.

“Everyone was too busy avoiding Sam’s crossbow shots to notice, to be honest. And Marcus was too far away to stop me, so he just made a very rude gesture at me,” said Ros. “Still, his big old brain won Good the game overall, so I’d say he did alright.”

Amelie looked over at Marcus, walking with a distinctly muddy and bruised, but very cheerful, Jackson. 

“Don’t you think Marcus and Jackson make a good team?” Amelie asked brightly.

“Jackson managed to save Mark from getting his head bashed in, so yes, successful,” said Rosalind, stopping at the Tunnel of Trees where they split off. “Where’s Sam--oh, of course.”  
Amelie turned to see Sam and Raiden arguing at the base of a nearby tree. Sam appeared to be trying to wipe paint on Raiden. 

“I don’t know why I bother waiting for her.” muttered Rosalind. “Shall I go and break them up before someone gets shot?” She turned on her heel and marched off, cloak and flags flying behind her. Amelie watched her go, twisting her bracelet. 

“Not very smiley, is she?” sighed Jade. 

Amelie frowned thoughtfully. She thought Rosalind smiled rather a lot. 

“I don’t think she’s that bad.”

Jade looked at her. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Huh,” Jade looked back at where Rosalind had just reached Raiden and Sam. “Well, she definitely likes you, then.”

Amelie looked sharply over at her. “You think so? Really? What did she say? Did she say something to you?”

Jade blinked. “Uh, she doesn’t talk to me unless she has to. But she’s way nicer to you than she is anyone else.”

Amelie hesitated, thinking it through. “She’s nice to Marcus and Chinhae.”

“Everyone’s nice to Chinhae,” said Jade. “And Marcus is her brother.”

“Oh,” said Amelie. Her face felt hot. “Well.” 

Jade opened her mouth--

“Let's go for dinner,” Amelie said quickly. “Let's talk about it at dinner, come on--”

She hurried off, a smirking Jade at her heels. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there are so many hints for what's to come in here lmao. I know most of these probably feel like filler chapters but I'm trying to develop relationships sufficiently before the trial soo


	14. tfw everyone picks their teams for murder tag and you're last to be picked :/

“-- and I just thought I’d ask you for help with my Princess Etiquette homework,” Amelie finished softly.

Rosalind couldn’t help but look amused. “Me? You’re the top-ranked Ever, sweetheart.”

“Oh, I know,” Amelie said sheepishly, fiddling with the edges of the paper. “I did most of it with the textbook’s help, but there’s a few we couldn’t work out. I don’t know anything about Northern dinner etiquette, and Jade’s from the South like me, so she doesn’t either. We were going to ask Marcus, but I thought, if I saw you tonight…well, you’re a Princess.”

If she saw her. She’d told Sam something about stealing a few books from the vastly superior Library of Virtue, which was partially true, but Amelie knew full well Rosalind had snuck into Good tonight explicitly to see her, and she’d still brought her damn homework. 

Rosalind looked at Amelie in her fluffy slippers and pyjamas, her hair covered by a silk bonnet, and sighed internally. “Alright.”

Amelie beamed and came bounding over to sit with her in the alcove. Not exactly thrilled to be doing Ever work, but refusing to complain outwardly, Rosalind peered over her shoulder. “White wine glass is third from the left,” she said, pointing to the gaps left unfilled. Amelie hastily scribbled in the answers, and Rosalind eyed her carefully looped handwriting with some endearment. “That’s the fish fork. And… oh, that’s wrong. At formal dinners, everyone has to stop eating when the monarch does.”

“Really?” Amelie stopped scribbling in surprise. “That doesn’t seem very fair.”

“It’s why Dad eats about two things per minute, he hates it,” agreed Rosalind. She frowned. “This seems very… boring. I thought Princess Etiquette might have a bit more drama involved.”

Amelie shrugged, slowly folding the worksheet back up. “I suppose they have to teach us the basics before we can start practicing!”

Rosalind shook her head, somewhere between amused and disbelieving at Amelie’s absolute refusal to speak badly of anyone, even the hugely incompetent Professors. Ros opened her mouth to comment on it--

Amelie leapt to her feet. “Fairy patrol. Coming from Purity.”

Rosalind turned sharply, and sure enough, she could hear the whirring of fairy wings, swiftly advancing. 

“Quickly!” Amelie grabbed Rosalind’s hand and yanked her down the hallway, Rosalind for once glad she’d opted for boots instead of heels. They cut two corners, ducked down a side hallway, and dove behind a huge marble statue of Arthur and Guinevere on their wedding day. Scowling, Rosalind waited until the fairies swept past, chattering furiously to themselves. She crouched behind the base of the statue, straining for any noise of them returning, but it seemed they’d gone. Relieved, she turned--

And found Amelie’s face inches from hers. 

She froze.

“They’re gone,” Amelie murmured. 

Ros nodded vacantly, not really listening. Amelie looked up at the statue they were behind, eyes big. 

“I thought all of the statues of your grandparents were in Merlin’s Menagerie,” she said. “We’re not allowed in, but that’s what I’d heard.”

Rosalind pulled a face, spell broken. Arthur. Ugh. “No, they were replaced with my parents. Good riddance.”

“You don’t care for them?” asked Amelie, surprised. 

“Only I’m allowed to torment my father,” sniffed Rosalind.

Amelie smiled, making her already round face look angelic. “You’re funny.”

Rosalind took a breath to make some retort, then ducked as a noise echoed down the corridor. Breathless, she and Amelie peered over the plinth--

“Is that a pig?” Rosalind whispered furiously. As the noise echoed again, she caught a flash of pink.

The pig stopped at the end of the hall and sniffed around the doorframe. Amelie bit her lip.

“It’s Professor Anemone’s teacup piglet. Which probably means--”

“Terrence!” warbled the Beautification professor, tottering into view. “Come on, sweetpea, you’ve had your midnight tinkle.” She scooped up the pig and Amelie and Rosalind flattened themselves onto the glass floor as she strode past, heading for the teacher’s quarters and whistling a waltz.

Her footsteps had barely faded before Rosalind and Amelie collapsed into silent giggles.   
“She’s going daft,” coughed Rosalind. “What does she need a teacup piglet for?”

“If I remember--” Amelie hesitated, smile fading slightly. “Gosh, I can’t think-- oh, that’s right. Professor Fournier bought it for her as a goodwill gift. It collects homework.”

“Oh, I _hate_ Evers,” groaned Rosalind. “A _pig_.”

She caught sight of Amelie’s face. “You know I don’t mean _all_ Evers.”

“Well,” said Amelie nervously. “Yes, Marcus and Chinhae and Raiden--”

“Amelie,” said Rosalind, “You know how I feel about you.”

Amelie blinked. “Oh! I mean-- yes-- I--”

Rosalind sighed, leaned over--

"What are you doing?

Amelie squeaked in surprise and topped over. Ros, however, was not startled, if extremely irritated. She’d recognise that monotone anywhere. Slowly, she turned around, cursing Everboys and talents and nosey dispositions... 

Chinhae was standing behind them, arms folded, book bag slung over one shoulder. 

"Are we below the library, by any chance?" Rosalind said grimly to Amelie.

"Er...yes, I think so..."

"Heard us from there, did you?" Ros asked Chinhae, whose gaze was flicking between Ros, Amelie, and the hallway Anemone had disappeared down with an unsettling amount of clarity. She desperately wanted him to get lost, but Chinhae could be rather stubborn when it suited him.

"Yes," He said, "And if you're going to sneak in, don't wear such strong perfume."

"This whole place reeks of perfume," Ros scoffed. Chinhae shook his head. 

"Nobody wears jasmine except you." 

Rosalind raised an eyebrow-- 

Her face dropped as she heard new footsteps, and a new voice cut in: "Oh, Am, you're here! I was looking--"

Jade stumbled to a halt as she finally noticed them. She was clearly on her way back from the bathrooms; her hair was wet, and her wide eyes looked even more woeful without makeup. She looked like a stray kitten someone had tried to drown.

"Oh," Amelie said weakly. "Hello, Jade."

She didn't sound very happy to see her, and Ros suspected they shared the same suspicion; that Jade wouldn't keep her fat mouth shut. Jade awkwardly raised a hand in greeting, and Ros noticed what was embroidered onto the sleeve of the faded robe she was wearing; Fortitudo in unitate. Strength in unity. The motto of Jaunt Jolie. Her jaw clenched, thinking of the letter she’d taken from Marcus earlier that evening. Of course. Adrian’s brat. She’d almost forgotten. 

Even more of a threat.

"What is this, a tea party?" Rosalind snapped. "What are you doing here?"

To her surprise, Jade looked less cowed than usual, and more annoyed. "This is my school. Shouldn't I be asking you that?" 

"I can do whatever I want, Princess, but you're over the wrong side of the castle for Charity. Surely living in the Great Palace of Oromaría gave you a good sense of direction?"

"I was looking for Amelie," Jade said tightly. "You know. Since we're friends."

Amelie looked down guiltily. Ros felt a new surge of irritation, wishing the two of them would just take the hint and buzz off. "Princess Jade, being friends with someone? Daddy's really letting you live it up, isn't he? First letting you out of the basement, now letting you have friends--”

She didn't usually directly goad Jade in this way, but she was desperate to get rid of her. What she hadn't accounted for was stoking Jade's already well-showcased temper.

"Let me out?” snapped Jade. “I'll be surprised if they let you back into Camelot!" 

“Well, you--”

"Ros, shut up," Chinhae said deftly. Ros resented that he was defending Jade instead of her, but she knew his logic exactly: she started it, and she'd keep it going until she won, so she was the one who needed to be disarmed. "What exactly are you doing here?" 

"None of your business, skinny. Why are you getting involved?" Ros said coldly. "I don't get involved with your personal affairs."

Okay, maybe that was something of a lie. Ros hadn't forgotten about their scrap over the Princess of Altazarra, and from Chinhae's expression, neither had he.

"Yes, you do." 

"Well, I would if there was anything to get involved in nowadays,” said Ros disdainfully, examining her nails. “You avoid romance like the plague--"

"I do not," Chinhae said, slightly too quickly.

"Then how come you haven't kissed anyone in over two years?"

The second it was out of her mouth, Rosalind regretted it. He had told her that in confidence, and she’d just said it out loud, in front of other people, so she could win an argument in front of a pretty girl. 

Well, she considered grimly, there was a reason she was a Never.

Chinhae didn't say anything, because he never would, but his expression made it obvious he was visualising drowning her in the Groom Room. 

Ros groaned and held her hands up in mock surrender. "Oh, don’t give me that stare. I'm leaving!"

"What? Already?" Amelie said.

"I never said you had to leave," Chinhae said gruffly. "Just don't get caught."

Feeling slightly bad for her retort, Ros found herself reminded exactly why she was friends with him. Of course he wasn't going to sell her out. He was a wonderful enabler of her schemes.

"I'm going to bed," Chinhae continued. "Jade, are you on your way too?"

Jade, who had been glaring at Ros for the last two minutes, jumped and looked over at him. The heat left her gaze. "Oh. Yeah, okay." 

The master diffuser at work.

"Night, Chae!" Ros called after him as he and Jade headed for the staircase. Chinhae shot her a rather rude gesture over his shoulder, but he'd only be annoyed for maybe another ten minutes. They never fought for long.

Well, apart from over the Princess of Altazarra.

* * *

"So," Jade said when they were a considerable distance from Ros and Amelie, "Uh. Does Ros usually talk to you like that?" 

Chinhae, still stewing about the jab at his nonexistent love life, shrugged. "She’s not always that annoyed, but... yes."

Jade blinked. "Oh. Yeah. You're friends, of course. I just thought you looked... kinda pissed off..."

Chinhae was surprised she could tell. He’d heard his expressions all looked rather similar to one another. Amused looked annoyed, which looked miserable, which looked bored. 

"Well, I didn't really appreciate her being rude to you. Or her final comment about me, actually.” He saw her frown, and added hastily; “But don’t pay her any mind, she’s just angry because of a letter Marcus got today, so she might have been a bit… unfair, with you.”

Jade’s face closed off immediately. 

“Let me guess,” she said grimly. “My father's picking a fight with hers.”

Chinhae tried to think of a way around it. “...something like that, yes,” he admitted. “Adrian said something about being very sorry that Ros was sent to Evil, and that it must be very hard for them, and Tedros got angry with him and sent a really curt reply.” 

“Oh.” Jade’s head dropped. “Right. Tell her I said sorry.”

Knowing there was no way Ros would want to hear it, but desperately wanting to make her feel better, Chinhae nodded. “I will.”

“Doesn’t mean she should have been unkind to you, though,” Jade muttered, picking the sleeve of her robe. 

Chinhae shrugged. “It was a little harsh, but there's no point me starting a fight over it when it's true. "

"Really?" Jade sounded far too surprised. Chinhae felt his ears burn, but she didn't say anything else, perhaps realising she’d been too incredulous. 

They fell into an awkward silence. Chinhae had gotten the impression, recently, that Jade wasn't very comfortable around him. And come to think of it, he wasn't sure they'd ever actually talked one on one, without someone else there. Chinhae wondered anxiously if it was his fault. Was it his expressionless face? Was it his extended periods of silence? No, technically that should work in their favour, as Jade was always talking--

Jade reached up to nervously push her wet hair behind her ears, and Chinhae noticed the embroidery on her sleeve; Fortitudo in unitate. 

Ah.

It made him look to her signet ring; solid silver, the initials J.M.A. Jade, obviously. Then her mother's name, María…Then Álvarez, the family name of the Jaunt Jolie royals. It struck Chinhae, then; it wasn't him who was the problem. It was his family. 

Jade must have seen him looking, because she dropped her hand and cleared her throat nervously.

"Um… so, speaking of my father… well, you must know-- your mother--"

"My mother and your father hate each other intensely and are always an inch from war, due to a very complicated chain of events involving a tournament for my mother’s hand, my father throwing buttered peas at your father, your father marrying my mother's best friend, your birth, my birth, and your younger brother’s birth," Chinhae offered. 

"Er… yeah," Jade said weakly. Chinhae wondered if she’d thought he wouldn’t know.   
"And now we're in the same school year, and I'm not exactly helping with kingdom propaganda..."

Chinhae glanced at the leaderboard as they passed it. Jade was 26th. He was 2nd, having just dipped below Amelie in Good Deeds today.  
"You’re not doing that badly," he said. "Top half."

"Says the person fighting for Class Captain," Jade snorted. Her face slid into something more sour. "Emma would have been first."  
Chinhae supposed she must mean Emmelina, her beautiful younger sister. He fell silent to consider for a moment.

He could tell that Ros' insults had hit home, and he had listened to his mother's disapproving comments enough to know that Jaunt Jolie wasn't the happiest place to grow up. But it had only just occurred to him that Jade had probably been labouring under the impression he hated her for the last two months or so. Perhaps she’d thought he was pretending to tolerate her for the sake of peace, more inclined to manners than Ros. 

But even the idea of hating her had never even crossed Chinhae’s mind. 

"I think any animosity between us disappeared when you punched Colette in the head," He said, suddenly decisive. "My mother's disdain doesn't extend to Adrian's family, so neither does mine. It's not your fault." He stopped on the landing where they needed to break off and smiled, offering her his hand. He noticed his own signet ring; a tiger, ringed with white lillies. The tiger was his mother's symbol. The lilies were his. "I don't think we need to carry on the feud for another generation."

Jade stared at him, mouth slightly open. Then she blinked. "Really? We're cool? You're not secretly plotting to shove me out the window in Weapons Training?"

Chinhae raised an eyebrow at her. "As long as you don't try anything."

"Hah! As if I could beat you in a fight." She took the offered hand and shook firmly. "You're a lot nicer than I expected, Prince Chinhae of Avalon Towers."

"It can't have been that hard to beat your expectations. I don't expect I'm portrayed very sympathetically in Jaunt Jolie."

Jade grinned, smiling with her teeth for once. "You have no idea." She patted him on the shoulder as she passed him, heading for her room. "And just for the record, you're hotter than I thought, too," she called over her shoulder. "Your eyes are gorgeous in real life."

She didn't look back, and Chinhae didn't manage to form a response until she'd disappeared down the hall. He turned, looked hard at his portrait on the wall, and stopped twice at mirrors on his way back to Honor, trying to decide if his eyes did look better in real life.

* * *

"What's wrong with Chae?" Jackson whispered worriedly to Raiden. Chinhae was slumped at the end of the row of Beautification desks without his usual ramrod posture, glaring into space, twisting his signet ring aggressively. People were giving him a wide berth; it was the angriest Jackson had ever seen him look.

"He got a letter of proposal from the Lord of Akgul's son last night," Raiden replied quietly. "Whatever was in it, it didn't win him over, that's for sure. He burnt it almost straight away, bashed a reply out far too quickly, and he's been in a bad mood ever since."

"Akgul? That's a Never Kingdom."

"I think he just wants a pretty face," Raiden shrugged. "He went for Ros first. They have a bet running; one of them rejects a suitor, and they guess how long it'll take before the suitor goes and bothers the other."

"I thought Chinhae didn't reject suitors," Amelie said from behind them. "They say he's too nice."

"Of course he does," dismissed Marcus, on Jackson’s other side, "Otherwise he'd be married twenty times over. He's just not as mean to them as Ros is, so they think they have a chance in the future. He's building up a very big problem for himself in a few years."

They watched Jade arrive and plop down in the desk next to Chinhae’s, without any acknowledgement of his murderous expression. He turned to her, and answered whatever she was asking him mildly enough. His mood seemed to be easing slightly.

"They suddenly seem to like each other better," Marcus observed in his usual straightforward way.

"We addressed the family feud," Jade said, overhearing him, "And now we're proper mates, aren't we, Chae? Much to my father's delight, I'm sure."

Chinhae accepted her high five, and, to Raiden's surprise, he smiled. Before he could question them any further, however, Anemone rapped her cane on the desk to get their attention, her stupid piglet sitting on her desk. 

“Good morning, class! Exciting lesson for you today.”

Raiden had not trusted Anemone’s definition of exciting since she’d had them drink ostrich eggs raw, so he didn’t find himself very enthused as their Dean hauled a clearly very heavy box up onto her desk. He hadn’t had a problem with doing Beautification alongside the girls until he’d realised Anemone was definitely on the slippery slope down to going completely batshit. He held his breath as she slammed it down onto the table, turned to them--

“Fans!” Anemone said brightly. Raiden, Jackson and Marcus all sagged in relief. “Feathered fans! Masquerade fans! Venetian fans! You see…” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “Technically, on the curriculum, I wrote that this lesson is about matching accessories to outfits and keeping your complexion comely. But, they have a secret, much more interesting use… messages!”

Most people looked confused. Marcus sighed softly, and Raiden and Jackson looked to him for an explanation.

“There’s some kind of secret language depending on how you hold them,” he muttered. “My parents use it to flirt with one another at parties. I think it was the only part of etiquette my mother ever learned because she thought it was funny.”

“Do you know it?” asked Jackson hopefully. 

“Not well. Rosalind does, but I’m sure I can pick it up.”

Raiden tuned back into Anemone’s explanation;

“You’ll each get a fan. Take it in turns to try and send messages to one another! I’ll send Terrence around with the worksheets…”

There were a few hastily stifled groans as the piglet trotted down the aisle.

“I’m gonna cook that stupid pig, see if I don’t,” muttered Raiden, snatching worksheets for their row out of Terrence's mouth. 

“Aww, don’t be mean.” said Jackson. “I think he’s sweet.”

Raiden sighed deeply and withheld any further comment. 

It became quickly clear that Anemone was using this as a method to set up student couples.  
“Holding to heart, ‘you have won my love’. Examining the painting, ‘I like you’.” read out Raiden. “Fanning slowly, ‘I am married’, fanning quickly, ‘I am engaged’-- these are all romance based,” he groaned. “Besides the very basics, it’s just for subtle flirting--Jackson, unless you want Marcus to kiss you, stop putting the handle against your mouth like that.”

Jackson blinked, then smiled brightly. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Marcus went very red and pretended to be engrossed in the pattern on the fan. Raiden, who had been watching them dance around one another for several weeks now, shook his head and glanced around the classroom. Most people seemed terribly flustered, except a select few who seemed to be using the situation to their advantage--and Jade.

“You’ve done this before,” accused Raiden after a few minutes of watching her easily interpret Amelie and Chinhae’s messages. 

Jade grinned sheepishly. “It’s pretty common at home. All of the court ladies use it.”

Raiden didn’t find himself surprised. Oromaría, the capital city of Jaunt Jolie, had become one of the most infamous Ever cities in the Woods in terms of infidelity, bribery, and scandal. No wonder they used secret messaging so liberally. His grandmother always returned from summits with some new drama from Adrian’s courts.   
Speaking of Adrian…

“Heard Tedros was pissed off with Jade’s glorious father,” he said, turning to Marcus. 

“TALK WITH YOUR FANS!” boomed Anemone from the front of the classroom. Marcus sighed and scanned the sheet for the yes answer, which was _rest on right cheek._

“He sent a pretty curt letter back, but only because if he’d let my mother do it, she’d have ripped him a new one. My letter was from her, she was seething. Sophie offered to poison him, I hear,” he paused thoughtfully. “I suppose that’s why Ros is angry with Jade.” 

“Ros is always mad at Jade,” muttered Raiden, “she doesn’t like her.”

“No, she doesn’t,” agreed Marcus solemnly. “It’s somewhat irrational, but yes, she doesn’t like her link to Adrian.”

Trying not to smile at Marcus’s surgical assessment of the situation, Raiden glanced back down at the sheet, as Jackson shuddered.

“Ooh, I don’t think I could cope with Rosalind being mean to me. She’s scary. I already think she finds me annoying.”

“She doesn’t find you annoying, she just pretends to,” said Marcus distractedly. 

Jackson looked rather worried. “Are you sure? I don’t want her to hate me.” 

“Fairly.”

Jackson didn’t look massively cheered. Raiden jumped in to save him from Marcus’s assumptions that everyone knew his sister as well as he did. 

“She’s mean to me and she likes me,” he pointed out. 

“Oh, well, I suppose that’s true--”

“RANKINGS IN FIVE MINUTES!” barked Anemone. Raiden and Jackson reluctantly went back to their fans.

* * *

By the end of the lesson, Anemone had dubbed most of their progress dubious and sent everyone to lunch with their fans, telling them to practice. She had, however, loudly praised Jade’s sharp eye and immediate ability to interpret, and Jade practically skipped down to lunch with one of her only first-place ranks.

“What’s this?” snorted Ros as they approached where she and Sam were lounging under a pine tree. “It’s not that hot.”

“Anemone wants us to practice,” said Raiden, deliberately trying to run over Sam’s hand as he passed. “Fan language.”

“Really?” Rosalind looked suddenly more interested, sitting up slightly. “How quaint. How is that going to help you in the Trial?”

She tensed slightly as Chinhae and Jade sat down, but once Chinhae greeted her normally, she seemed to decide their spat (reported to them by Chinhae in their dorm late last night) was a thing of the past. 

“The Trial isn’t for a few weeks, yet,” frowned Marcus. Ros tutted.

“You haven’t heard, evidently. They’re announcing the Trial competitors tonight, springing it on us so there’s no cowards who try and drop down the ranks to avoid going in. Plus, gives us more time to prepare.”

“Us?” said Jade.

“Everyone here is in the top ten apart from you and Jackson, Janice,” said Rosalind. Jade and Jackson looked at one another--

“I’m 11th,” frowned Marcus. 

“You’ve ascended to 10th, Mark, I won’t be competing,” said Raiden. 

Marcus blinked. “What? But you could compete. There’s spells--”

“The nature of the Trial is everyone against everyone, and it wouldn’t be fair to put you in that situation,” quoted Raiden in a snooty, trilling voice that everyone immediately recognised as Hephzibah’s. “It would be best if you sat this one out, dear.”

“That’s not her damn decision!” said Sam, bolting up indignantly. “Not Dean, is she?”

“Apparently it was Anemone’s decision,” said Raiden. “Professor Fournier merely came to break the news.”

Everyone exchanged sceptical glances. 

“That’s just pure laziness,” sneered Sam. “She doesn’t want to bother looking into ways for you to compete.”

Raiden shrugged disdainfully. “Well, I’ll have the last laugh,” he told her. He snatched up his fan and held it dramatically to his chest.“I went to Anemone and pretended to be ever so upset-- even though I’m mostly just annoyed--and she agreed to let me commentate.”

Rosalind started laughing. Everyone else looked confused. 

“But you can’t see into the forest,” said Jackson. “Can you?”

Amelie looked nervous, plucking at her bracelet. 

“I think there’s been some… changes.”

“Oho. How intriguing,” Rosalind languidly picked up Amelie’s fan. “Perhaps we can ask our lovely Professor herself. Here she comes.”

Amelie turned quickly, and so did everyone else--

“Ah, I assume Mr Akiyama has informed you!” said Hephzibah brightly, stopping a little way away from where Sam and Ros were eyeing her. 

“Trial competitors to be announced after dinner, tonight! Wild Cards included!”

No one looked very enthused, but Amelie, as usual, did her best to be polite. “That’s very exciting,” she said diplomatically. “I heard there’s been some changes, this year!”

“Oh, yes!” smiled their Good Deeds professor. 

“Yes, with the Society funding, we’re going to be delivering a much more interesting, engaging Trial this year. None of the… drama of the past few years. More fun!”

Raiden and Marcus exchanged grimaces. Rosalind was examining the painting on Amelie’s fan, not paying attention despite Hephzibah’s constant glances at her. Amelie was awkwardly watching Rosalind, seemingly having run out of things to say, and Sam was leaning against Raiden’s legs, pulling up grass and glaring at no one in particular. Raiden pretended not to notice.

“That sounds good,” said Jade weakly, “If it’s more fun.”

“I certainly hope so, dear!” Professor Fournier shot them all a bright smile. “Well, see you after dinner.” She turned and swept away.

“The hell does she want with us all the time, eh?” demanded Sam. “We’re just sitting here!”

“It’s because you and Rosalind look so scary.” said Raiden, trying to stab her in the head with pine needles. “She wants to protect her poor, pure Good students from your corrupting influence.”

Rosalind barked a laugh, handing Amelie’s fan back to her. “I think it’s too late for that.” She paused. “I mean, Raiden was always a bastard--”

Raiden decided not to pursue that pause. Either way, he was pretty sure he knew what it meant. 

He grinned. “Oh, yes, accuse me. Not your brother who you’ve dedicated sixteen years to corrupting--”

* * *

As it turned out, the changes were pretty drastic.

“Inviting our friends and family to support us,” groaned Sam as the Theatre of Tales exploded into chatters. Almost everything had been announced now, with just the teacher’s final decision on the Wild Cards to be made. “Yeah, to watch us get the shit beaten outta us via Spellcast!”

Rosalind grimaced, thinking of how her parent’s loyalties would be somewhat split. Sat at the end of the pew, next to the aisle, she glanced across to find Marcus looking at her, clearly thinking the same thing. 

“This is way too lighthearted,” muttered Dominique. “They’re not changing what happens in the Trial are they? Just that there’s a commentator, an audience, and a way to see inside. Raiden will keep the tone where it needs to be, I suppose.”

Most of the Nevers, Rosalind had found, harboured a grudging respect for Raiden, by virtue of both his wicked grandmother and his rumoured 49% Evil streak.

“Yeah. Akiyama, at least, knows what he’s doing,” muttered Sam. 

“Just gonna let praise for Raiden slide, Sam?”

“Oh, give over. Not in the mood,” muttered Sam. “Murder forest game with everyone there to watch you get beaten up.”

Ros had to admit, she had a point. While the Evers looked mostly just bemused, there was a lot of discontented muttering going on in the Evil pews. Nevers tended to be reluctant to admit defeat, and most people refused to disclose how they were injured or overpowered in the Trial. To know that every one of their missteps was going to be broadcast to their classmates, Good and Evil, had startled the entire Evil cohort. Especially since Nevers, historically, had more of a problem winning their parent’s approval. To expose their shortcomings in front of their family and friends seemed like a terrible idea. 

Before Rosalind could convey any of this to Sam or Dominique, Sophie and Hephzibah came back onstage, the rest of the staff trailing behind them. The chatter sunk to a low murmur, and as it did so, Rosalind could hear Jade saying nervously to Chinhae;

"Why is Espada looking at me? I'm not in."  
Ros glanced over. The old knight was definitely staring in her direction. Ros thought he looked rather anticipatory.

Rosalind thought she knew exactly what that meant, but Jade seemed to be on a desperate crusade to convince herself otherwise;

“I can’t be the Wild Card, that’s gotta be Jackson!"

"Why?" Jackson squeaked.

"You're big and can hit stuff!" 

"Not necessarily," Marcus jumped in. "You were trained by your father's top knight, Jade, and when you don’t fall over you’re really fast on your feet--"

"I'm five foot three and super thin,” Jade jabbered, eyes wide.” Chinhae could probably break my neck with one hand, let alone whatever they chuck in the Woods." 

"I don't think anyone's going to be that brutal." Chinhae said, looking slightly nauseous.

“The Wild Card for Good!” Called Hephzibah.

"Don't be me." Jade muttered. "Don't be me, don't be me, don't be me, don't be me--"

"Jade of Jaunt Jolie!”

Jade gasped. "Oh, _fuck_!" 

Several people laughed. Pollux looked disapproving. 

Rosalind was already recalculating. 

Amelie, Chinhae, Marcus, Sam, Dominique, and Jade were the only problems. She needed to work out a plan. Well, Chinhae, she would avoid, and if it came down to the two of them… well, he'd probably lose on purpose. And Marcus? Rosalind thought it was likely he’d be out by then. He was clever and a good rider, but not strong enough to last multiple fights. Sam would probably fall victim to her own impulsiveness and get caught by some kind of trap. Dominique would probably be immediately targeted by their classmates as a known threat with blades, she didn’t need to worry about them. 

Jade, she would be able to easily take down. 

Amelie, however…

Ros turned to find Amelie staring at her across the aisle, eyes big and frightened. Next to her, Marcus looked grim, despite Jackson’s attempts to cheer him up. She could see him twisting his collar, like he’d used to when he was little. 

Rosalind gritted her teeth. She intended to win by whatever means necessary. 

And yet...

Amelie looked ready to cry. It had barely occurred to Rosalind that she might be just as terrified of the Trial as she was of Surviving Fairy Tales lessons, but of course she was…she was still an easy target. An easier one, in fact. She could barely stomach eating rabbit, let alone fighting her own classmates and avoiding the staff’s traps until sunrise…

Rosalind looked at her face in the reflective marble pews, and decided to do something that no self-respecting Never would do. 

She was going to protect Amelie.

And if it came down to it, Rosalind was going to drop her flag to make sure that she won.

In the marble, she noticed for the first time in a while, exactly how much she resembled her father. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey I think you should practice your fan language along with the characters.  
> no reason, no reason. yeah. just for fun  
> haha.  
> anyway UH OH LMAO. jade got the token alex vs series f bomb!! bit early for it perhaps but it was DEEPLY FELT lmaooo.


	15. doest thy daughter hark to the red-clothed maiden

“This is ridiculous,” said Marcus, dropping his sword arm and tossing the shield onto the mat. “There’s no point to this, Jackson.”

Jackson looked worried. “But a correct riposte can stop you getting stabbed.”

“But I’m not going to _achieve_ a correct riposte, am I?” 

“...You might.” Jackson said unconvincingly. 

“I won’t.” Marcus told him firmly, handing him back the training sword. “My father realised this a very long time ago. I’m no good with a sword. It’s very kind of you to try and help me, but I may as well only take a shield in with me.”

Jackson picked nervously at the leather covering of the sword’s hilt. “That’s not a very good idea.”

“It increases my running speed and weighs me down less, and I think I’ll be doing more running than fighting,” Marcus reasoned. “It seems like a bad idea, but I find it quite practical.”

“Oh,” Jackson blinked. “Uh, yeah, sure…” He turned back to the sword rack. 

Marcus wandered over the window, looking out onto the Blue Forest. In truth, he’d only really agreed to come and practice with Jackson so that he could get some isolation from the rest of the students. He came up with his best plans when he was more or less on his own. Still, it had helped to blow off some steam, even if it had also exposed his distinct lack of mastery over swordplay for the hundredth time. 

“I wish I could go with you,” muttered Jackson, replacing the swords on the rack with the precision of someone who’s done it a million times. “I’d defend you.”

Marcus looked over his shoulder at him. “That’s good of you,” he said. 

“It’s _true,”_ said Jackson, uncharacteristically heated. “We’d be a good team. It sucks that you have to go in there on your own.”

Marcus, who had thought that was simply how things went, and there was nothing much to be done, looked curiously at him, turning around to give him his full attention. It occurred to him that it was very unusual for him to give _anything_ his full attention. He was always elsewhere, working on a puzzle. But he found Jackson to be a puzzle as it was. Usually amiable, but randomly flustered, or charming, or heated, at odd times. Not as consistently inconsistent as Alex, who changed at a whim, or as easy to parse as Chinhae, who had a very varied range of subtly different inscrutable expressions. He was just… Jackson. And that was hard to understand. 

“It’s not so bad,” he said, confused. “Worst-case scenario, I’ll get hurt and drop my flag.”

“But I don’t want you to get hurt,” Jackson moped. 

Marcus didn’t really know what to say. “Oh,” he said. He took his glasses off and cleaned them absently on his waistcoat. 

Jackson followed the movement. “Isn’t that going to smudge them even more?”

Marcus looked down at them. “Probably.” he said. 

He put them back on. 

“Yes.” 

Jackson grinned. “You’re funny.”

Marcus, who thought he probably meant funny as in odd, smiled weakly. “Yes. I suppose so.”

Then Jackson’s face dropped again, morose. “Can we come up with a plan?” he asked. “I’d feel better. You like plans, right?”

“We?” said Marcus, confused. No one had ever wanted to participate in one of his ideas, before. They were all hypotheticals. Rosalind was the one who executed schemes that were actually fun. 

Jackson reddened. “Oh--um, it’s ok if you don’t want me to, I know I’m a bit thick and would probably just be a pain…”

“You’re not stupid,” said Marcus. “I was just surprised. No one usually cares much for my plans.”

Jackson frowned. “I do.”

“Yes,” Marcus looked awkwardly away. “I know.”

In the forest below, he could see Rosalind, crouched in the exposed pumpkin patch. Chinhae, Jade and Amelie were nearby. No doubt Rosalind was developing her own strategy. He needed to check with her what she was doing…

He realised Jackson was looking at him and turned hurriedly back to him. “In fact, it might be a good idea. You duel with the other Everboys a lot. You can tell me their strengths and weaknesses.”

Jackson’s face lit up. “Oh! Yeah, yeah, I can help! C’mon, we’ll get some paper--” he jogged off, hair falling out of the badly tied ponytail he’d put it into, suddenly no longer seeming to have a problem with Marcus going into the forest. 

How odd he was. 

But maybe Marcus was okay with not completely understanding Jackson.

He liked puzzles. 

* * *

“I can’t be the wild card!” Jade said hysterically, hanging onto Amelie’s arm as they paced along the riverbank. “I’m gonna get eaten as a starter before they go for the big guns!”

“I’m sure you won’t get... eaten...” Amelie said, but she sounded far too worried to be convincing. Listening a few metres away, pretending to scout the pumpkin patch, Ros had to agree. Jade was an idiot at the best of times, when she _wasn’t_ under mountains of pressure. She might have potential to be a fierce fighter, but she was still tiny. A harpy would perhaps think twice before chomping someone like Jackson, with his giant frame, but Jade would look like an easy kill. 

Even now, she looked like a very anxious baby rabbit; she was chewing on her lip with her big front teeth, tugging her hair out of its pins. Her frame looked thin and vulnerable in her Evergirl uniform. Ros thought she might feel a little bit sorry for her. Maybe. And if she was sparking _Ros’s_ limited supply of sympathy, she knew exactly who else was going to be feeling for her…

“You’re not going to die, Jade,” Chinhae said gently, stood on a rock in the middle of the brook, staring thoughtfully downstream. He’d always had a habit of dipping in and out of conversations at random, forgetting just because he could hear things, it didn’t mean they were actually _directed_ at him. “You’ve got your flag. You’re a good fighter. And they wouldn’t have picked you if they didn’t think you could do it.”

Ros suspected that Jade had been deliberately complaining within his earshot, because she visibly relaxed at his words. Chinhae had a way of saying things so reasonably, so calmly, that they seemed like undeniable facts. It was going to make him an incredible negotiator when he was Emperor.

"Sure, but it's not just physical strength, is it?" Jade said, promptly finding a new thing to worry about. "If they whack a sphinx in here anywhere, how am I supposed to get past _that_? Like I can solve a damn riddle."

Ros had to commend her commitment to fatalistic thinking.

"Just turn around and go somewhere else," Amelie said, "They only attack if you try and pass."

"I didn't even think of that! See, _this_ is why I'm gonna die!" Jade wailed. She pointed at their teachers, standing upstream, peering into one of the deepest parts of the water. "Nowhere's gonna be bloody safe! They're obviously dumping something in the water as well! It'll be Kappas for sure, they love running water, easier to drown people in--"

"Kappas?" Chinhae said hesitantly, stepping back onto the bank.

"See, you knew that!" Amelie said encouragingly. "I didn't know that!"

Hmm. Jade was no Marcus, and her logic was sometimes questionable, but she was right about the Kappas-- Ros wondered whether she should keep that to herself, or tell Sam. Mind you, Sam might well know…

"I know that because they drowned some pretty high-profile people!" Jade was babbling. "They drowned Chinhae's great-uncle!"

Chinhae frowned. "How do you know that? I thought all my family history was banned in Jaunt Jolie."

"So what? Loads of stuff is _banned,_ doesn't mean I don't read it! _The Long Road Out Of The Woods_ is banned too, but I've read every volume of that!"

Ros rolled her eyes as _Chinhae’s_ eyes lit up uncharacteristically eagerly.

"You've really read them all?" He said, trying to sound casual and failing. 

_The Long Road Out Of The Woods_ was a distinctly stupid work of rambling epic romantic prose, following different intertwined storylines; most importantly, a poor Knight attempting to return home to the woman he loves after four years, desperately hoping she hasn't already married the Duke who was relentlessly pursuing her. There were about a hundred others; something else about maids and butlers and the Knight’s patron and Day and Night. Exactly as ridiculous as it sounded. Ros's knowledge of it suggested she'd _read_ it, but she hadn't. She made the mistake of asking Chae about it once, and the second mistake of telling her father she’d asked Chinhae about it. Everything she’d learned about it was against her will. She considered such sweeping romance annoying and pretentious (as did her mother, and Seohun) and Marcus hadn't read them either, preferring realistic fiction and science, so Chinhae didn’t really talk to them about it. But Ros had seen his copies of the books (well hidden, but she snooped under his bed one time when he was in the bathroom). The spines were all broken from overuse, parts were underlined and circled enthusiastically, and the margins were filled with careful annotations. Seeing them had almost made Ros angry. When they were younger, Chinhae had longed for the idea of real love, but fear of his relentless suitors had made him stamp it down. Ros hadn’t been sure if he even still believed in it, but those books seemed to suggest he definitely did. 

"Of course I've read them all!" Jade said, sounding scandalised. "What do you take me for, a literary heathen? But how's Princess Madelina supposed to help me survive the Trial?"

"Half the fourth volume is about survival in the woods, though--" Chinhae started to say, then stumbled to a halt and flushed an awkward red. "Er. No, you're probably right. Sorry." 

Ros sighed to herself and went back to poking through the Pumpkin Patch. 

"Jade, if you're really worried, I'm sure you could ask Anemone to pull you out--" Amelie began, but Jade shook her head adamantly. 

"I can't." She said firmly. "I _need_ the rank boost it might give me. I'm too low down. If my family finds out that I'm 29th, they'll --" She seemed to realise what she was saying halfway through her sentence, and her mouth snapped shut, her expression icing over. There was an awkward silence.

"We can go together?" Chinhae offered, saving the moment. "Strength in numbers, and everything."

Jade smiled weakly and took a deep breath. "That's kind of you, Chae, but I don't want to drag your rank down," she said. "You're going in with a high rank. You don't need to be babysitting me."

Huh. She was braver than Ros would have thought, considering her spineless father.

"You wouldn't be a hindrance," Chinhae protested, "And we're supposed to help each other, aren't we?"

Jade shrugged, trying to project nonchalance and failing dismally. "Of course, but you don't need to tie yourself to me. I should...do this on my own. Obviously Anemone thinks I can contribute something..."

Chinhae nodded, albeit reluctantly. Ros thought he was probably expecting it.

"Alright. But my offer still stands."

"Thank you."

"What you can contribute...Oh! Jade, what about your talent!" Amelie said suddenly, gripping her arm. "It could be really useful, especially in the dark--"

Jade’s eyes widened. Rosalind's narrowed, turning to look properly back over at the Evers. 

_Talent_? 

"You're so clever, Am! Ah, maybe I won't die after all. Well, not at the hands of any kids, anyway…"

"What's your talent?" Chinhae asked.

"Mimicry," Jade said, in a perfect replica of Chinhae's voice. 

He jumped a little in shock. Rosalind whipped back around to the pumpkins, brain working furiously. 

"That's… uncanny." said Chinhae.

It was also _dangerous_ , Ros thought. A nice distraction she could use. If Jade worked out how to use it to her advantage, she could be in with a chance, and _that_ wouldn’t do.

"I know," Jade said, still in his voice, but then dropped back to her own to muse aloud. "It's not very helpful, usually, but I've just thought… I'm going to check out the caves. Coming, Am?"

Chinhae watched them cross the bridge and disappear into the trees, frowning thoughtfully. Ros finally stepped up to join him.

"Every day she just becomes more of your dream girl, doesn’t she?" She said. " _The Long Road out of The Woods._ Ooh, you’ll be dropping to one knee any moment, won’t you? Hmm?"

"Must you always eavesdrop?" Chinhae asked, too mildly. No matter. 

"Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?" She said idly. "Getting dirt on everyone before the Trial starts? But any cretin could have seen how freaked Jade is _without_ listening in."

Chinhae sighed. "She'll be okay. I don't think she was expecting to be picked, is all." 

"Hm. Well, don't flatter yourself, I wasn't spying on _you_ either. I was actually hoping to talk to--"

"Amelie, I suspect," Chinhae said. Ros frowned at him, displeased. He looked at her sideways.

"I could make some jokes myself about a _dream girl_."

"You don't make jokes." Ros snapped, to cover her suddenly elevated heart rate. He smiled. 

They stood in silence for a second. 

"What happens if it comes down to us two?" He said. 

"I'll crack your pretty skull open and the glory will be mine." Ros said briskly. Chinhae rolled his eyes. 

"You can't win a fair fight against me."

"Who said anything about _fair?”_ snorted Rosalind. “I could just push you off a cliff and be done with it."

"I'd hear you coming."

"But you're too loyal to run me through and stop me."

"Depends how loyal I'm feeling on the night."

"Well improvise out our battle to the death then, shall we? How uncivilised of us." Secretly, Rosalind hoped it wouldn't come down to them. Well, if her plan worked, it wouldn’t... 

Ros caught sight of Amelie emerging from the trees and headed towards her. “Amelie! Can I talk to you for a moment, sweetheart?”

* * *

“It’s so… green.” said Alex. 

“Did you expect the Emerald City to be red?” snorted Sora.

“Well, no,” said Alex, sidestepping a green-painted cart complete with green donkey, lugging green bags of peas. “But I didn’t think _everything_ would be green.”

“We did a lesson on it in second year,” said Talib. “Everything except people has to be green. By law. It’s some culture and tourism thing. Don’t you remember?”

“No.” said Alex.

“You were in the infirmary for eating twelve Delivery Gnome Surprise Special dumplings.” said Sora. 

“Oh yeah! Hah. Good times.”

“You threw up on me.” 

“Good times _before_ the puking and hallucinations,” conceded Alex. “Never did find out what was in them.”

“Perhaps that’s best,” sighed Sora, squinting against the glare of the sun on the towering emerald buildings. “How far is the palace?”

“Twenty minutes for munchkins and five for tourists,” said Alex, peering at a (green) sign pointing up a shambling street. “Hope she’s in.”

“The amount of tourists around suggests she is,” said Talib. “Even more in demand than the Wizard, right?”

“Yeah, she’s only here a couple months a year.” said Alex. “Usually October to about February, then she goes…somewhere. Home. I never did work out where Kansas is. I asked Mom if she was from Woods Beyond and she said she didn’t think so, because she’d never heard anyone talk about her.”

Dorothy Gale was something of a phenomenon in the Endless Woods. Not educated at the School at all, she had simply appeared in Oz in her rickety little house, and the Storian had abandoned its tale about a miller from Ooty in order to write about her, instead. Griselda of Ravenbow, recently graduated, had been appointed her Nemesis, and as usual for the School Master Era, Good had triumphed. According to Emi, who had been a student at Evil at the time, it had been quite the scandal; the idea that someone who hadn’t gone to School could be in a fairy tale. It had only happened once since, with Japeth and Rhian--who, conveniently, had used Dorothy as an example of the School’s redundancy. The papers had ignored the fact she called him several unsavoury things after she heard he’d talked about her.

As far as Alex could tell, Dorothy still tended to avoid Woods going-ons when she could. She rarely made public appearances, generally only going particularly high-profile events like weddings, christenings, and coronations, sitting at the back and standing by the buffet. She’d become increasingly irreverent as she aged, and her time spent in the Woods was rapidly becoming shorter and shorter. “I hope we can see her,” she said worriedly. “She might not want to talk to us.”

“She probably will.” said Sora. “Grandmother says she’s a terrible gossip.”

“If she’s not been here very long, she might not know much about what’s going on.” pointed out Talib. 

“Worth a try, anyway,” said Alex, ducking under low-hanging signs clearly meant for munchkins, not humans. “I think she came to my christening, and a few things since, so hopefully she knows who I am and will be willing to at least have a bit of a chat.”

The guard at the Emerald Palace barely glanced at them. 

“We’re here to see Dorothy--”

Alex had barely gotten it out before the guard reeled off a clearly often-repeated spiel, snapping her gum. “No journalists, tourists, fans, insufferable interns or unauthorised merchandise.”

The three Evers looked at one another. “Um.” said Alex, thinking it was probably a lost cause.

“We’re friends of Dorothy,” interrupted Sora, grabbing Talib’s hand to stop him trying to sidle awkwardly away. 

The guard glanced briefly at them from under her green cap and snorted. “In which sense?”

“What?” frowned Sora. 

“She knows my parents,” interrupted Alex hopefully. “Tedros and Agatha of Camelot?”

“Are you going to play this card every time?” hissed Sora. 

“If it works, yes!”

The guard slowly raised her eyes to take in Alex in her questing uniform. Alex, who was glad she hadn’t dyed her hair pink after all, since she’d probably have looked less like her father that way, fidgeted nervously as the guard squinted at her--

“Wait here,” she said finally, and turned to saunter down the walkway, still snapping her gum and whistling as she went. Alex sighed, turning to look at the clock tower. 

“She better hurry up. We’ve gotta be back for the dress rehearsal in a couple hours.”

But they’d barely been there for two minutes before the guard was back. “Dorothy says she’ll see you,” she said. “She’s offering you tea.”

Alex weighed up the options. If they accepted, they’d probably waste loads of time and maybe miss the dress rehearsal, but if they declined, they’d miss the opportunity to potentially get some valuable information.

And if they accepted, there’d probably be food. 

“Sounds great!” Alex said. “Lead the way.”

Sora sighed softly behind her. 

* * *

“You’re the absolute _spit_ of your parents, aren’t you?” said Dorothy gleefully five minutes later, tugging Alex down into the chair next to her. “How tall you are! I went to your christening, you were a charming, chubby baby, threw up on the Maharani of Mahadeva--”

Alex exchanged a gleeful glance with Sora and Talib, who both looked surprised that she’d not made that particular anecdote up after all.

“Introduce me to your classmates!” said Dorothy, messily slopping tea into all of their mugs and pouring an obscene amount of sugar into each. She was tiny, even shorter than Emi-- wizened and lined, with her iconic gingham skirt still bunched around knobbly knees, her wiry hair forced into matching pigtails. A dog with a collar proclaiming it _Toto VI_ had come over to investigate Sora, who patted it cautiously on the head. He’d somewhat come to terms with his fear of dogs due to prolonged exposure to Talib’s doddering dachshund, Thor, but he’d never be quite relaxed around them. Which sucked, seeing as they loved him so much. 

“Ah, yeah--these two gents are Talib M’Barek and Akiyama Sora,” said Alex. “We’ve been friends since first year. We’re questing together.”

“Who do you play in Curses?” demanded Dorothy. Alex stuffed a french fancy in her mouth to conceal a snort. 

“I'm the director and co-writer, actually,” said Sora. At least he and Alex could claim it now, since anyone who would take offence was either not offended (Tedros, Agatha) or not of concern (everyone in it who was dead, like Rafal).

“Ah, a dramatist!” said Dorothy brightly. “And you, dear?”

“Merlin,” Talib muttered awkwardly, clearly sensing that the wizard might be known to her. 

Clearly he had been, because Dorothy’s face brightened. “Oh, excellent! Do you have those fluffy slippers as part of your costume? Hugely impractical to wear, but he seemed to make it work. Lots of fun…”

Alex tuned out, pulling raisins out of a scone and gazing around the veranda they were sitting on. Green, like everything else in this city, but shaded from the blazing midday sun. It had been much colder yesterday, when the fight happened--a brawl had broken out in the line to see the wizard. A boy from Ginnymill had fought an Akgul demon over his girlfriend’s honour and gotten severely beaten for his trouble. No one had quite been able to explain why, or how it had started, only that it had. The Curses team immediately connected it to the rest of the confusing attacks, and they’d announced Oz as their next surprise tour destination.

The fact that they just turned up unannounced in random kingdoms was quite useful, but also distinctly stressful. They’d been forced to kingdom-hop faster and faster, recently. It was going to start looking too obvious, soon. Maybe they needed to start sending the understudies ahead to investigate. They wouldn’t always be able to find people who could tell them what had happened. 

“Did you hear about that fight yesterday, Ms Gale?” she asked, suddenly back to the present. 

“Oh, just call me Dorothy, dear, your mother did until someone stepped on her foot to stop her.” said Dorothy airily. “You mean the fight outside, yesterday?”

“Yeah, that one.”

“Oh, not really, dear. Just silly teenage stuff, I would have thought. Do you know them?”

“Nah, just curious,” Alex said quickly, trying not to show her disappointment. “Everyone seemed really annoyed about it.”

“The people of Oz tend to be somewhat hostile to tourists,” said Dorothy. “I’m sure they would have been annoyed that they were disturbing the peace. Now, tell me about your siblings. How are they doing at the School? I missed their christening, but I came to their first birthday, I remember you fell in the Reflecting Pools--”

Sora and Talib exchanged exasperated glances. This was going to be a waste of time, they could all tell. Alex swallowed her temptation to press her for more about the fight and summoned a smile. “Yeah, I think they’re doing fine. Mark is roommates with Sora’s brother, Raiden, so we hear a lot from them. Me and Sora are heading down there to go and see them in the Trial by Tale tomorrow.”

“Oh yes! The infamous Trial by Tale,” said Dorothy, swilling her tea in her cup. “I’ve been told lots about that, over the years. Are they competing?”

“Ros and Mark are.” said Alex. 

“Raiden’s not,” Sora glowered. They’d both read the foul-mouthed letter conveying the judgement. “He’s commentating.”

“How nice. And Prince Chinhae? He’s in the Trial, isn’t he?”

“Uh, yeah, I think he got in,” said Alex. “High ranked.”

“Yes, yes. I hear they both got a letter of proposed courtship from the Lord of Akgul’s son? Rosalind and Chinhae? Is that right?”

“Uh.” Alex had not heard anything about this, but it was a high probability that Ros had read it, burned it, and not bothered to talk about it. “Probably. Don’t know.”

“Hmm, well, that’s what it said in the paper. Apparently they both rejected him, Prince Chinhae for some unspecified, polite reason, and Rosalind because she claims she has not yet officially been put forward to be courted.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” said Alex. Tedros had deliberately put it off every time it was brought up.

“Chinhae probably would have said it’s not a priority at current, even though it sort of is, with Eunha constantly in frail health,” said Sora. “But a match with Akgul would be disastrous.”

“Yes, Akgul and Avalon Towers have never gotten along,” said Dorothy musingly. “Their biggest Never enemy.”

“Why?” asked Talib. 

“Something to do with rivalling iron trade in the time of Empress Eunha’s grandfather,” said Dorothy dismissively. “I don’t really know. Glinda mentioned it once, when she was trying to prepare me to meet all of the Woods leaders, but I didn’t really listen.”

Alex sighed internally, preparing herself for a few hours of court gossip. She supposed she’d be interested in getting to know all of it too, if she only had a few months a year to catch up. 

“Yeah, it spiralled into animosity because the poison used on Eunha came from there.” she said. “They swore they had no idea, and to be fair they probably didn’t, but it definitely didn’t help matters, and there’s no way to know for sure.”

Talib frowned. “We never seem to mention Akgul in lessons. Iron is their main export?”

“Yeah, coz they have dragons,” said Alex. “They use them to heat the furnaces, so their weapons become really sought-after. Dragon-forged steel. My dad has a sword of Akgul iron. It’s pretty cool. My ancestors got the epithet Pendragon from the battles they fought there, slaying dragons to try and rescue princesses and shit.” 

She turned to get a slab of victoria sponge as Dorothy turned to grill Sora about Walleye Spring’s court gossip. 

Maybe this meeting hadn’t been so useful, but at least there was cake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alex when will you learn that everything is useful my girl, I wouldn't write it if it wasn't smh. didn't notice that all three siblings are the pov characters until now lmao. cool. hope you enjoyed!! trial next :O


	16. sick of people trying to kill me just because I'm evil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warnings for this chapter: strong language, mild to moderate violence

The night before the Trial, as typical for her dratted family, Rosalind had an unsettling dream.

She stood in the hall leading to Purity Tower, alone and rooted to the spot. Around her, voices were whispering; too low to be understandable, too many to be discernible, but whatever it was, she felt threatened. 

Rosalind hated feeling threatened. 

She turned angrily, but it seemed to be coming from all around her, and it was definitely getting louder. She was catching snatches of words, most prominently her name. 

“What?” she demanded. “What do you want?”

She wasn’t sure who she actually meant by _you--_ who was she talking to?-- but they were clearly enemies. She turned again--

And caught sight of the heel of a boot, wedged atop a carving of Arthur’s head. 

Ros looked up.

Her father was sitting in an alcove above her, the same one she’d hidden from a fairy patrol in, where she’d found her parents' names scratched into the glass in her mother’s crooked hand.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Tedros said, amused. Rosalind pressed her lips together in irritation.

“I know, I’m not supposed to be here.”

“Well neither am I.” said her father. “Fairly sure I fell asleep at my desk. But here we both are.”

“Get out of my dream.” 

“I think you should get out of _my_ dream.” Tedros looked around as the whispering got louder. “Sounds like conspiracy, doesn’t it?”

“What are you even _doing_ in my dream?” pressed Rosalind. “I don’t think I’ve ever had coherent company before.”

“That’s the question, isn't it? Probably here to deliver some horrible prophecy of doom.” 

He said it casually, unusually. Not how he usually fretted. He said it like Agatha would have said it. 

“ _Dad.”_ hissed Ros. 

“I seem to be quite good at getting into dreams.” continued Tedros musingly. “Plagued your poor mother with it in second year. Of course, she thought they were Nemesis dreams.”

He grinned at her. 

“Am I your Nemesis, Ros?”

“Of course you’re not.” snapped Rosalind, nervous and trying to hide it. “Mom was wrong. You were trying to warn her.”

“Yes, on that rare occasion she was wrong. _So_ , if I was trying to warn her, back then… what am I trying to tell _you,_ now?”

Rosalind stared at him. 

“...well, spit it out. What are you warning me about?”

“I’ve already told you, I think.”

“What? You’ve done nothing but be evasive.”

Tedros merely looked at her. Rosalind glared at him, frustrated. 

“I don’t have time for this.” 

“You remind me of myself, Ros.” 

“...is that a bad thing?” 

“I don’t know.” Tedros mused. “I don’t think so. It depends.”

“Depends on _what?”_

He didn’t answer.

“You’re coming tomorrow? To watch the Trial?” asked Rosalind, suddenly.

Tedros smiled at her. 

“Of course.”

“And if I ask you about this, you won’t remember it.” said Ros. “Will you?”

“I don’t think I’m supposed to,” said Tedros. 

Before Rosalind could question that, he leaned over and looked straight down at her. 

“Will _you_ remember it?”

The whispering turned into shouting. 

* * *

“Rosalind, can I talk to you?”

Ros turned from the huddle of Never competitors to find Jade stood behind her, gnawing incessantly on her lower lip with her stupid bunny teeth. She was alone in the mass of clinking blue chainmail and fretting non-competitors-- Chinhae was standing at the bottom of the stands, being interrogated by Seohun. It seemed that neither Eunha or Jun were present.

“What is it?” she asked thinly, not in the mood to entertain jabbering today. Not that she was ever much in the mood to tolerate Jade. 

“Can we just--” Jade ushered her over to a scraggly patch of blue foliage, near the snake-twined gates which would open to let them into the forest. Rosalind followed her, unimpressed--

And was startled when Jade turned to her, face uncharacteristically solemn. It didn’t suit her. “Listen, Ros, I wanted to apologise.”

Ros raised her eyebrows.

“Oh?”

"I'm sorry for what I said the other night," Jade said in a rush, before Ros could say anything else. "It was really rude. I was angry and didn't.. um...."

She trailed off, and Rosalind gazed at her. What _had_ she said-- 

Jade glanced over at where Agatha was standing with Marcus, and Ros realised. Oh, that was right. _I'll be surprised if they let you back into Camelot._ Yes, suitably venomous. Would certainly incite guilt in any Ever worth their salt. 

Jade was gabbling again;

"They're your family. I don't know how I could have even--"

"It's fine. I'm over it." Ros interrupted. 

“...really?”

Ros snorted. She had bigger fish to fry, today. She wasn’t much concerned with a bumbling Evergirl and her conscience clearing.

“Sure. Whatever. Doesn’t matter. Run along, now, you’re going in first.”

"But-- are you sure?" Jade said worriedly. 

“Yes.” said Ros, starting to lose patience. “I’ve said so. It doesn’t matter, Jane.”

“It’s Jade.” said Jade weakly. Ros looked at her and she clamped her mouth shut. 

“Yeah.” Jade said faintly. “I should go and get ready.”

She turned and shuffled away, dragging her feet in the trampled blue grass. To her surprise, Ros found she looked even more glum, if that was possible. Pathetic, really.

She didn’t tend to entertain wretchedness, so she found herself surprised when she opened her mouth.

“Álvarez.” she said. 

Jade turned. 

“Good luck.” said Rosalind.

Jade gawked at her, utterly shocked.

“Close your mouth.” snapped Rosalind, effectively ruining the sentiment. 

But Jade smiled anyway. Beamed, really, with her bunny teeth sticking out.

“Thanks. You too.”

Ros grunted assent and looked pointedly at where the competitors were starting to gather. 

Mercifully, Jade took the hint. But Ros thought there was a little more spring in her step as she left. 

She’d probably need it. 

* * *

Anemone had not been able to backtrack on her promise of making Raiden the commentator. 

“The finest of evenings to you all! Competitors, students, esteemed professors, Camelot royalty sat at the back trying to look inconspicuous, my brother with his cooler friend, Alex--” --Alex cheered, Sora swore at him-- “and everyone else who has come to watch this hopefully very entertaining Trial! Shall we go over the rules before we start?”

Marcus, who already knew the rules, tuned out, scanning the competitors. He was standing behind Jade, who was being sent in first, Wild Card as she was. Truth be told, he was somewhat nervous about her prospects. She was swamped by her cloak, too short for it to hang properly, and they’d not been able to find another one for her. Marcus could hear her muttering to herself. 

He leaned over and prodded her in the back. She jumped and turned to him, skittish. 

“Are you ok?” he asked, raising his voice over the booming of Raiden’s commentary. Jade nodded shakily. 

“Yeah. Yeah. Just trying to remember all my spells.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow at her, and she seemed to realise that she’d spoken to him in his own voice. She grinned sheepishly and returned to hers. 

“Sorry. Practicing.”

“It’s good.”

“Yeah.” Jade swallowed. “Hopefully good enough.”

She turned away again, and Marcus cast a glance around-- Chinhae and Ros, both at the end of the line, were talking seemingly casually, and were fielding a lot of nervous looks. Ros looked over and caught Marcus’s eye. She winked at him. Marcus rolled his eyes and looked away. In a tight huddle under a nearby oak, the gangly, green-skinned boy who had offered a rose to Amelie at the Welcoming-- who Marcus now knew to be called Leif-- Colette, Rupert and Kelly were talking furiously, almost arguing.

Speaking of Amelie, where was she? Marcus hoped she wasn’t losing her nerve--

“OY!” boomed Raiden. “GET IN LINE, YOU FIVE! DON’T THINK NO ONE WILL NOTICE YOU’RE GONE! Alright, here’s Professor Fournier, to tell you a bit about some of the changes made this year--”

Hephzibah came twittering onto the stand and Marcus turned to watch her, more interested in how she was going to pitch this. 

“Welcome to the Trial by Tale! As you might be able to see, we’ve made some _teensey_ changes this year-- well, I say that, but they’re actually a pretty big deal! Obviously, spectators here this year, which has never happened before; we thought inviting families might be a nice change, to let our competitors have some home support, right here! And as you can see, we’ve set up Spellcast screens to show a variety of different spots in the forest-- the magic will hone in on all the action, and make sure you’re in the know about what’s happening to our brave competitors!”

The Nevers muttered dubiously, and scanning the crowd, Marcus spotted a number of severe-looking Evil parents, clearly unlikely to be very _supportive_ if their kids were knocked out early, or were subject to some humiliation in the forest. 

“And, as many of you have asked me, we are _definitely_ sure the flags work this year! No more little mishaps or near-deaths. Isn’t that right, fourth years?”

Hephzibah smiled, craning her neck to look at Sora and Alex… 

Both of whom were glaring at her. She cleared her throat and looked away. 

“Yes! Well, ah, there is also no Siege Spell put on the forest this year-- it’s a combination of enchantments performed by our own Dean Sophie--” There was a polite round of applause which Sophie, muttering darkly to Agatha, ignored, “--and they allow us to get any necessary enchantments into the forest in case of truly dire emergency. But don’t worry, first year spells can’t get through! No cheating here, I can assure you.”

The Nevers booed. Marcus rather thought his mother did, as well.

“I think that’s everything.” said Hephzibah, looking unruffled. “Well, we’ll be starting presently! Wild Cards, prepare yourselves.”

Haru’s family shouted encouragement as he took his place next to Jade. Marcus heard none for Jade herself. 

“Alright, Wild Cards; Ever Jade of Jaunt Jolie and Never Haru of Runyon Mill.”

Jade looked desperately behind her, and Marcus followed her gaze to find Chinhae nodding reassuringly at her. She forced another painful looking smile and turned back as the gates began to creak open. 

The wolves howled, and the Trial by Tale began.

Immediately, though, the suspense was somewhat ruined by the presence of the Spellcast. Marcus quickly realised that it was going to give the last few into the forest-- in this case, Chinhae and Dominique in second, and Amelie and Rosalind in first-- a massive advantage. They’d be aware of the majority of people’s last seen positions, weapons, whether they were injured, who they’d encountered, who was left… everything. 

Raiden also seemed to have realised this. 

“I know this looks easy, giving away people’s locations,” he said, eyeing the Spellcast narrowly. “But remember, the teachers and School Master can see this, too. You might go barrelling through the woods to find someone, then come face to face with a bloody great giant instead. Just a thought.”

On the Spellcast, Marcus was _sure_ he saw Jade smirk, and his brain immediately snapped into action. So she could hear Raiden from inside, could she? She was on the east side, closer to the gates and stands, so it made sense…

Marcus decided to stay east as much as possible. He’d been going to do so anyway, but now, if he could hear Raiden’s commentary, he’d have a decided advantage, knowing the situations of everyone else…

He glanced over at the stands and noticed his mother frowning at the Spellcast. She looked down at him, and Marcus knew she’d come to the same conclusion. 

_East,_ she mouthed. Marcus nodded, and she looked relieved he’d understood. 

“Alright, tenth ranked students, get ready to go!” said Raiden brightly. Marcus was grateful for his determinedly cheery tone. It alleviated the tension from the straight-faced teachers and nervous spectators. 

Blinking to make sure his contacts were settled-- glasses in the Trial was a terrible idea-- Marcus came forwards, surprised by his lack of nerves. He was tense, and adrenaline-fueled, but not really afraid. If he got hurt, it wouldn’t be _that_ bad, and he wasn’t prideful enough to try and carry on with a serious injury. And he highly doubted that Rosalind or Chinhae were going to come out of this badly. Really, the only thing he was worried about was Jade losing her nerve. 

And possibly his father’s heart failing when he noticed he hadn’t got a sword. 

The wolves howled and he was shoved through the gates

He hoped Jade was doing okay. 

* * *

Sometimes, being ignored had its perks. 

For example, overhearing Haru and Sian agreeing to meet up in the Pumpkin Patch. 

Jade crept after Haru, trying her best not to let the dry grass crunch under her boots. Her fevered 2am studying of the forest map was paying off, and she knew exactly where she was. Haru, clearly, did not; he was closer to the lake than the Pumpkin Patch. 

Also, Jade happened to know that Sian had been caught up in a fight against a Hydra, which she’d only just managed to avoid being dragged into. 

Again, Haru did not. 

Eyeing the red fabric sticking out of his pocket, Jade leaned forward slightly, and threw the sound of a twig snapping into the trees to their left. 

Haru turned immediately, fingerglow lighting. 

“Who’s there?” he demanded. Jade rolled her eyes. Stupid idea to ask that, really. 

“Haru?” Sian’s voice was deep and distinctive, easy to mimic. “Is that you?”

Haru’s face cleared. 

“Sian! I’m over here.”

“Where?” 

“In this clearing.” Haru crept closer to the left. “I can’t see you.”

“I can’t see you, either. Is there anyone with you?”

“No. Haven’t seen anyone. Thought I might see Adrian’s brat, but no. She must be hiding somewhere.”

Jade, distracted by the mention of her father, was late in replying, and a little too aggressive;

“Well, come over here, then.” she snapped. “Before someone arrives.”

“Right--”

Haru went forging into the trees, looked around--

Jade threw the screech of a harpy behind him and he broke into a sprint, suddenly panicked. 

“RUN!” shouted the supposed voice of Sian, and he did-- tripping over roots and smacking into branches. Jade ran after him, increasing the harpy’s volume--

With a great splash, Haru blundered straight into the lake, face-first into the shallows. Laughing, Jade sloshed into the water behind him, plucked his handkerchief from his pocket, and threw it down. 

He barely had time to register what had happened before he disappeared in a shower of red sparks.

Grinning, Jade turned to look as _Haru_ went dark on the board. Faintly, she could hear Raiden hollering into the mic;

“FLAWLESSLY EXECUTED! JADE OF JAUNT JOLIE GETS THE FIRST DEFEAT OF THE NIGHT! That should bump her rank up a fair bit, eh Professor? Yes, I _know_ you get the most points for lasting the night but--”

Relieved, Jade scrabbled back up the bank and forged back into the trees again.

Maybe she wouldn’t do so badly after all. 

* * *

Some forty-five minutes later, Rosalind and Amelie entered the Trial to chaos. 

The second they were through the gates, Amelie grabbed Rosalind’s arm, and they made a beeline into the thicket on the east side, trying to avoid the main paths. But it was clear that the Spellcast had been deceptive; focusing on minor conflicts, small monsters and Everboy scraps. 

The main forest was anarchy. 

Rosalind lurched back as a pair of blue cloaks whipped past them, students thundering down the path in front of them. Further away, more people chased each other through the trees, screaming profanities and waving weapons after their targets. Scorched patches of earth and splatters of blood or vomit adorned the grass every few feet, and spells lit up the trees in short blasts of coloured light. 

Ros stepped behind a yew, scowling. Amelie hunched behind a leafless blue hazel beside her, peering fearfully around the trunk.

“Why is everyone just chasing each other? Aren’t there any teacher obstacles?”

“Just what I was wondering.” said Rosalind grimly. 

“I can’t hear any.” said Amelie. “And we didn’t see any on the Spellcast. Maybe they’re further in--”

Screams erupted from nearby, and Amelie and Ros whipped around as white and red sparks shot into the sky, bursting into fireworks and signalling the surrender of… who?

Rosalind turned to the board to see _Belladonna_ and _Dan_ going dark. She narrowed her eyes. 

“Two less to get rid of, but…”

“But there’s still so many left.” supplied Amelie weakly. 

“They have a point,” came Raiden’s voice faintly from outside. Rosalind frowned, knowing that meant the Spellcast was now on them. “Looking at statistics from past Trials, there are usually at least half of the competitors out of the running at this point. There are still 16 people in the forest, right now-- oh, hello.”

Taking that as a warning of an approach, Rosalind spun to see a group of hooded Evers emerge from the thicket opposite, blocking Rosalind and Amelie’s intended path to the Blue Brook. 

She recognised Colette’s saunter.

Amelie smothered a gasp. Rosalind grabbed her hand and squeezed. As casually as she could, she cast her eyes to the left, just away from the trees she and Amelie were concealed behind. And, oh-so conveniently, another figure emerged tentatively from the bushes, overlarge blue cloak trailing in the grass...

She took one look at the group of Evers and bolted, hood falling back to expose short curly hair and tan skin. Colette hooted. 

“Jade! _Get her!”_

As Rosalind watched intently, she and her three cronies wheeled and tore off after the supposed _Jade,_ sprinting after her down the open path, _Jade_ keeping just ahead-- before suddenly peeling off and diving into the trees to her right, squeezing through a small gap in the trunks. The Evers crashed into each other in their attempts to follow her, and were too late-- by the time they got through, Jade had disappeared.

The Evers groaned in disappointment.

“Must have mogrified.” lamented Kelly.

Mogrified? Oh, alright. 

As if on cue (and it _was_ on cue) an orange-yellow rabbit leapt from the thicket and bolted into the undergrowth, too fast for the Evers to even attempt to catch.

Swearing, the four Evers picked their way out of the trees. 

“Probably went to the fern fields,” said Rupert. “Small animals can hide out there. Come on. Maybe we’ll stand on her.”

They laughed and disappeared down the path.

Wiping sweat from her top lip, Rosalind waited until their footsteps had completely receded...

“Lucky escape from Jade.” came Raiden’s voice.

“Very lucky.” murmured Rosalind wryly. She turned to Amelie. “Let’s make a break for the Blue Brook.”

“What?” blurted Amelie, sounding alarmed. “I thought you said we were going to the Turquoise Thicket!”

“Change of plan.” murmured Ros. “I’m not going to the Thicket, not if that lot are nearby. Besides, if we can hear Raiden on this side, that might be an advantage.”

“Oh, they can hear me? Hi, Ros-- cheating? I would call it _taking advantage of the situation,_ Dean Sophie. No, I don’t have a skewed perspective, you’re just annoyed you didn’t notice.”

People laughed. Ros rolled her eyes and ignored him. 

“But the Brook-- isn’t that where most people go?” pressed Amelie. 

“No.” Rosalind glanced warily down the path as she stepped out onto it. “It’s an old expectation. In reality, hardly anyone goes there for that exact reason.”

Amelie hovered uncertainly behind the treeline, face mostly covered by the cowl of her cloak.

“I don’t know.” she said anxiously. “The Brook is really exposed. I think I’d feel better if we went to the Thicket. There’s more cover. Trees to climb, and things.”

Rosalind hesitated. She didn’t want to risk upsetting Amelie any more-- she was a bundle of nerves, already having nearly burst into tears alongside Alex when Lief had attacked Marcus. And he was _Rosalind’s_ brother.

And she did have a point. Was Ros being too cocky, deliberately going to the Brook to trick and catch people? And was she being careless, taking Amelie with her?

“...alright.” she said slowly. “Alright. Yes, we’ll go to the Thicket. But we’ll have to run, because we’re going to go through the Sleeping Willows, so no one can follow us.”

At the concession, Amelie seemed calmer.

“Oh! That’s alright. I’m good at rain spells.” she came out of the trees and tucked her hair more firmly into the hood of her cloak. She smiled at her, Ros thought, but it was still nervous. “Thank you. Let’s go.” 

Relieved, Rosalind looked around once more. No one was nearby. She started off at a run down the nearby footpath, lighting her fingerglow, Amelie beside her--

The second they got into the willows, Amelie thrust her glowing finger into the air, and a line of rainclouds burst into life down the tunnel, water pounding down and soaking the dry grass. Relieved, Rosalind broke into a sprint, hearing Amelie running just beside her--

Someone came sprinting from the left and slammed into her. Amelie shrieked, Ros spun--

And met a copy of her own eyes below the cowl.

With a flash of gold light, their section of trees was plunged into pitch darkness. Furious, Ros grabbed the collar of his cloak.

_“Marcus,_ what are--”

It was only when she realised she could barely hear herself that she realised. Drenched by loud, pounding rain, and in the pitch black, there was no way they were going to be put on the Spellcast.

“Up ahead, at the end of the tunnel,” came Marcus’s voice, from right in front of her. “There are two Nevers. They think they saw a harpy, but it was a kestrel. If they were to see a _harpy_ again, they wouldn’t take their eyes off it.”

Rosalind had always caught his meaning better than anyone else. 

“And?”

“And their flags are in the right hand pockets of their cloaks.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” 

Rosalind fumbled for his hand in the dark and squeezed it tightly. 

“Thank you.”

Marcus didn’t reply, merely gripped her arm for a second, then let go. Rosalind felt his presence disappear, and waited a second--

The lights came back on, and Marcus was gone. 

“What was that?” gasped Amelie. 

“No idea.” lied Rosalind. “Best not to stick around, come on--”

She forged ahead, only stopped by Amelie grabbing her cloak and yanking her back.

“Nevers.” she hissed. 

“Oh, shit.” Rosalind ducked behind one of the willows, as an extra precaution. Invisibility was a hard illusion to maintain, and if she had to make a harpy as well…

Teeth gritted, she cast her eyes skywards…

The taller Never-- Orestes, she realised-- jumped and grabbed his companion’s arm. 

“It’s back!”

His companion swore, and Ros recognised Sasha’s voice. They retreated nervously into the shadow of the trees, staring upwards apprehensively. Their backs were to Ros, and as promised by Marcus, their handkerchiefs were visible, peeking out of their pockets. 

“What do we do?” whispered Amelie. Ros didn’t reply, tense with the effort of maintaining two spells…

“Wait here,” she said, after a moment. The harpy started to descend, the Nevers quailed….

“What?” said Amelie, startled.

Ros stood, ducked out from behind the tree, and ran through the rain towards the Nevers--

_“Ros!”_ Amelie shouted after her.

Ros’s heart stopped.

The Nevers turned.

Well, no use being invisible _now._

Spitting curses, Rosalind dropped the first illusion and stunned Sasha to the ground, blasting her into a heap in the shrubbery. Orestes whipped around, raised his fingerglow--

Rosalind forsook magic and slammed into him, knocking them both sprawling. Orestes kicked and bit and tried to hit her, but Ros had spent years brawling with Alex, and planted her knee firmly on his chest, scrabbling for his handkerchief--

“Crazy bitch!” bellowed Orestes. “Can’t you see the harpy? You’re _dead!”_

“I can see it just fine.” said Rosalind coolly, whipping the handkerchief from his pocket. “Better than you, in fact.”

Confused, Orestes’ eyes returned skywards--

Ros dropped his handkerchief before he could register the telling absence of the monster, and he disappeared in a shower of red. Laughing, she turned--

Sasha lunged for her, dagger slashing a wide arc, and Ros dove backwards, only just missing being sliced in the face. She scrabbled to her knees, ducked another swing, and Sasha aimed a kick at her nose--

Just before it connected, she disappeared in a flash of red fireworks.

Panting, Rosalind looked up--

To see Amelie standing in front of her, eyes wide. 

“Sorry!” she whispered, mortified. “I didn’t know what you were doing, I didn’t think they’d attack you--”

Ros shook her head, struggling to get her breath back. 

“Doesn’t matter.” she gasped. “I should have told you.” She managed a smile. “Thank you. How’d you get her flag?”

“Snuck up behind her and snatched it when she was running over to you.” said Amelie faintly, still looking petrified. She cast a nervous glance upwards.

“What happened to the harpy?”

Rosalind hesitated. She’d not yet admitted to Amelie the nature of her talent, and something told her now was not the right time. 

“I don’t know.” she lied. “Got scared off by all the shouting, I guess.” 

She stood, wiping rainwater out of her eyes. 

“Let’s get out of here.” she said. “There are too many people around.”

* * *

They could see her. Jade knew it. 

The forest had been oddly silent for hours, now; the only things she's heard being her own crunching footsteps and the chattering of the Blue Brook, somewhere to her left. She'd been incredibly lucky so far, so it added up that it would all go wrong, now.

She couldn’t see their faces under their hoods, but Leif's swaggering gait was unmistakable, and Jade recognised Colette's voice. Of course it was Colette that found her. Did she want a rematch?

All of them had weapons drawn, and were facing towards where she was standing, in the shadows of the trees.

Jade didn’t move, though. She had no desire to make herself even more of a target, which she would do if she ran. And they had no reason to want to attack her yet, with so many Nevers left in.

"Is it you?" 

Leif’s voice jumped from the pack, and the accusation in his tone immediately put Jade on guard. 

"Is _what_ me?" she replied reluctantly.

"You were in first, you know full well what we mean." Rupert said, folding his giant arms." All this… _confusion_."

" _Confusion?"_ Jade repeated. 

"Hallucinations. Hearing voices when there's nobody nearby. People attacking one another." Colette listed, stepping forward. "It's obviously a talent. We're looking for the _owner_."

"If it was me, don't you think I'd have run by now?" Jade pointed out, sweat pricking on the back of her neck. She’d only managed to send two people back with her talent. Hardly a scourge of the contestants. But clearly they’d taken notice.

"You're not the brightest." Colette sneered.

"Neither are you." Jade snapped. "Especially if you think it's _me_." 

"Oh, Jade.” snorted Colette. “You grew up in Oromaría. That castle is _teeming_ with liars and cheats." And then, almost to herself, "But you still have no idea…" 

"What?” frowned Jade.

"Nothing, nothing..." Colette dismissed, but she was still looking curiously at her. "Point is, you're probably an experienced liar."

"What do you think I've done?" Jade snorted. “Killed someone?” 

"Someone's trying to lead us into traps." The fourth figure spoke for the first time, her voice wavering, hood slipping down. It was one of the youngest Evergirls; Kelly, eyes round and worried. "We followed Samiya to a crog pit, but she disappeared into thin air without leaving the Forest."

"I can't make you _see_ them!" Jade said incredulously-- then cursed her big mouth. 

"So you admit you can make us _hear_ them?" Colette barked triumphantly. "How _else_ did you hold back to hear about the Amortentia that day? You made it sound like you were walking away, and we fell for it! You're working with someone-- that witch, probably. She’s doing… something. Making us hallucinate. And you’re helping. Just admit it now." 

Jade stared at her-- then laughed.

_"Ros?”_ she spluttered. “Why would Ros want to team up with _me_? She doesn't like me!"

"To win. Don't doubt she plans to dump you once the competition dwindles." Leif said. “We saw you talking, before everyone went in.”

“What? No, that was something different--” Jade cast a bewildered look around the four of them. "I haven't seen Ros! I’ve barely seen anyone tonight! What do you want me to do, admit it?”

Colette considered her.

"Not really.” she said. “I'm not planning on you being in here much longer. You could make things... complicated, later on. For our friend."

"Your friend?" Jade said absently, considering her exits...

"O _ur_ friend." Kelly said suddenly. Jade stared at her, unnerved, and she must have made a movement, because Rupert snorted.

"Don't try to run from us again." he advised. "Four against one… your chances are slim, _Princess_." 

“Again?” repeated Jade, confused, but they weren’t really listening to her. 

"Aw, _Jade."_ Colette smiled. "If only your family liked you a bit more. Then, you could be standing with _us,_ cornering some other traitor to Good."

"What?" Jade said. " _Traitor to Good?_ And what's my family got to do with this?"

"Oh, dear, they really don't tell you anything, do they? Give us your handkerchief," Colette smiled wider. She was clearly enjoying having the upper hand. "And you'll go out unhurt."

Jade sneered, angered by the mention of her family, her pride bubbling to the surface.

“No.”

Colette's smile split into something more ugly. 

"That's what I hoped you'd say." She whipped to her cronies. _"Get her!"_

Jade spun and sprinted into the trees. 

Immediately, she could hear them crashing after her, but she was smaller than lumbering Rupert, faster than pampered Colette and hesitant Kelly... so it was only Leif she should be worried about.

But as the pines began to thin around her and the footsteps behind her got louder, her overlarge cloak betrayed her. 

Maybe it was caught on something, or maybe it was grabbed, but it didn’t matter. What _mattered_ was that Jade was yanked aggressively backwards into a painful heap on the ground. 

Swearing, she broke the clasp and lurched back to her feet without the cloak, took two steps--

And fell straight down a steep incline. 

She didn’t even have time to scream-- she just fell, the breath snatched out of her, tumbling down the hill with branches tearing at her legs and face, and arms and--

She landed on her leg, and something cracked and flared in pain. 

Gasping, she tried to sit up, trying to regain her sense of up and down… but it was too late, because they’d caught up. 

Kelly must have been faster than she’d thought, because she was first to reach her, trying to force her down with skinny arms--

Jade swung a blind punch and got her in the sternum, winding her, then dragged her down with her, scrabbling for the white flag she could see in her collar. She got hold of it and yanked it free, and Kelly stopped for a moment, face slackening in desperation--

“Wait!” She begged, but Jade dropped it, and Kelly vanished, her weight disappearing off her--

Then Leif was upon her, and Jade landed hard on her back, her bad leg trapped under her. She stifled a scream-- but an idea sprung into her mind as Leif struggled to draw his sword and hold her down at the same time…

She headbutted Leif in the nose, buying herself a few seconds as he reeled back. She kneed him off her with her good leg and scrambled towards the river, audible a few metres away; she could swim better than they could, so if she could just get into the water--

But no. Colette grabbed her around the waist and collapsed on top of her, inches from the bank, and Jade _screamed_ because her leg _hurt,_ and also it maybe wouldn’t be so bad if someone could hear and come and help her out--

“She’s gonna get us caught.” Hissed Rupert. 

"I know! _Shut up!"_ Colette snarled, scrabbling in her pockets, probably for her handkerchief. 

They broke into a scuffle, ending up right on the riverbank-- Jade was halfway over, in the shallows, freezing water soaking into her clothes. Everyone, including her, was shouting. 

“Where’s your flag?” Colette shrieked, looming over her--

A savage, petty instinct alone was what commanded Jade to mimic her. 

_“Where’s your flag?_ Fuck off--!”

It was a bad move. 

Instantly, Colette’s hands clamped around her throat and _squeezed._

Panic erupted in Jade’s chest, and she bucked against the other girl, struggling to get free, forcing choking breaths as Colette squeezed harder, hands clammy on her throat-- and Jade couldn't _breathe_ , not at all, and her heart was slamming against her chest in wild animal panic. She couldn’t _breathe,_ and she desperately needed to, but she _couldn’t_ and that wasn’t right, it was all wrong, and-- and-- and--

“Can’t scream now, can you?” Colette laughed teeth bared with effort. “Where’s her flag?”

Jade heaved another squeaking breath, but it was nearly impossible. Nearly sobbing, she tried to free her arms from where someone was holding them down, starting to spasm. She could barely see, now, and there was a glowing light in the corner of her vision--

“GIVE IT TO ME!” Colette shrieked, bashing her head into the grass. “There’s nobody to save you--”

A _bang_ like a gunshot echoed, and both Leif and Colette shrieked, and the pressure on her arms vanished, but Colette didn’t let go. Blindly, swamped by dark panic, Jade clawed at Colette’s face, but she wasn’t strong enough, and it _hurt_ , it hurt so badly, and she was snarling something Jade couldn’t hear--

Then Colette was jerked backwards with incredible, inexplicable force. Suddenly, _she_ was the one screaming, wailing, and nobody was holding Jade down anymore. With multiple voices shouting at one another, Jade just managed to roll onto her side, away from the water, unable to do anything but wheeze for a painful breath that refused to come, as the chaos around her escalated.

"Shit!" Rupert barked. _"Shit!_ Leif! Leif! Get up, you idiot, we need to leave--"

“I can’t feel my damn legs properly, she shot me in the stomach! Help me up--”

Jade’s mind reeled, confused. Who shot him? Colette? _No, they’re on the same side--_

“NO! NO!”” Colette screamed over them. Jade was somewhat aware that she was sprawled in the grass a few feet away, scrambling crablike away from someone standing over her. “ _I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!”_

“YOU _DIDN’T MEAN TO?_ HOW COULD THAT BE AN _ACCIDENT!”_

"We were just trying to shut her up!” Colette howled, almost hysterical with fear. “To get rid of her! She needs to be gone before midnight! If she wasn’t such an idiot she would have been on our side-- _no!_ They’re blunted, you can’t kill me, you can’t kill me--”

“CAN’T I? _CAN’T I?”_

“LEIF! RUPERT! HELP ME!”

"Hey-- hey-- you were by the caves!" Leif shrieked, voice getting further away. "How the fuck did you get here so _quickly_?-- Rupert, if we-- together--”

A few seconds (or hours?) of clashing blades, and shouts, and swearing. Someone hit the ground hard. Jade stared, desperately confused. Her head hurt. Everything did. She looked at her hands. They were bloody. Her blood? No. Yes. Her finger was glowing. Yellow-orange.

Suddenly, a cut-off yell. With great effort, Jade looked up. 

Rupert had disappeared, and Colette was sprinting away, sobbing. Leif limped after her, clutching his shoulder--

Jade gave up and collapsed onto her front into the grass. She was shaking uncontrollably, and every breath she forced down her throat hurt. But she was breathing. She was alive. What had happened? Why did Colette let go? What happened to Leif, and Rupert? Someone turned up, right? Who? Who was close enough?--

But then someone put a gentle hand on her shoulder, helping her sit up.

“I would ask if you were okay, but it feels like a stupid question.” Chinhae said quietly.

_Chinhae? Chinhae_ was her saviour? Of everyone it could have been, Chinhae had chosen to chase them off? What… _what?_

“How badly are you hurt?” Chinhae asked. “Can you talk?”

Jade shook her head, frightened. She could barely swallow. 

"Alright." Chinhae said, sitting on his heels next to her. He still looked just as pristine as he had in the Clearing, but he sounded strained. Exhaustion? Anger? Anxiety? “She strangled you, didn’t she? How long for?”

Jade shrugged helplessly, trying to keep breathing. It had felt like forever, to her. Even thinking about it made her chest clench with new waves of fear.

“Did you pass out?”

Jade shook her head.

“Good. Well, I could hear you shouting just before I reached them, so it can’t have been long... Lucky you managed the stun spell, it bought a little time.”

Jade looked vaguely at him. She’d stunned Leif? She’d never managed to stun anyone successfully in lessons. Was that what he’d meant by ‘ _she shot me’?_ So that was why they’d let go of her arms… 

“Did you not mean to do that?” Chinhae asked. Jade shook her head. “Magic follows emotion. I suppose fear would count…” He slumped. "I should have gotten here faster. I'm sorry."

Jade was barely listening, trying not to cry. Well, more like she _was_ crying, and trying to pretend she wasn’t. Her breathing was getting faster, louder, out of control-- was she going into shock? Dying? If she was, this was the worst death possible, sitting soaked to the skin in a stupid blue field at a death school without ever proving to her family that she was anything more than a pathetic failure--

She tried to stand up and slumped sideways into Chinhae, disoriented and confused. To his eternal credit, he seemed calm. 

"You're okay." He said, softly but firmly, putting his arm around her to steady her against his chest. "Find something to focus on, something still. There's a bunch of daisies by your foot. There's no breeze right now, the trees are still, and there's a badger across the bank, you see it, under that bush? It's just sitting still."

He kept talking, pulling random things out of the scenery, but Jade was barely focused, listening to the steady thud of his heartbeat near her cheek--

Jade suddenly registered that it must have been Chinhae who had thrown Colette off her, thrown her across the bank, and it was him who had been shouting. He'd nearly frightened Colette to death. What had he done? 

Well, he'd saved her life. He’d done that.

Three months ago, Jade would have laughed at the idea.

"I think you should go back." he said gently after a moment. "Where's your flag?" 

Jade pointed shakily at her ankle; the bad one, the one that went _crack_ and was now twisted at a funny angle. She was going to have to shove her hand down her boot to get it, she realised.

"...Oh. Is it broken?"

She didn’t know, but it hurt enough to mean she flinched when he moved it gently. Chinhae sat back, considering.

"Ok." He says calmly. “It’s going to hurt now matter what we do…"

An idea came to Jade-- hadn’t someone cut their boot off in _The Long Road out of the Woods?--_ and she scrabbled for one of her knives, holding it out to Chinhae. His eyebrows raised. 

"Good idea. If I cut your boot off, we wouldn’t have to move your foot as roughly…it might take a while, though..."

He took her foot carefully into his lap and got to work, muttering something about how blunted weapons are a stupid idea and that they can do _more_ damage in the hands of idiots. Jade stared at him vaguely; his gorgeous profile was dramatised by the faint blue light of the forest, but most of her focus was on trying to piece together the last half an hour. Chinhae had no obligation to turn up at all. But he had. And how _had_ he gotten here so fast? Lief had said he was by the Caves. That was at least a mile from here. 

"Did you send Kelly back?" Chinhae asked after a time, finally manoeuvring the handkerchief out. Jade managed a painful nod. "You did? Well done. I got Rupert. Could have gotten Leif, but I didn’t want to leave you...”  
He shifted his weight, and Jade noticed a wince. Oh, _hell_ , he was injured as well? There was a significant bloodstain on his left thigh. Nervous, she leant forwards--

Chinhae moved, and his cloak fell to cover it. 

“You’ve done well, Jade.” he said softly. “We’re over halfway. You got some people out. That’s good, isn’t it? It’ll help your rank.” 

Jade shrugged sullenly, staring at the ground. She wanted to divert the conversation, make a stupid joke, but they were all too difficult to force though her crushed throat. She could hear her father’s voice in her head-- _n_ _ot good_ **_enough_ ** _._ It wasn’t enough. It was too shameful. She knew the news would be first on the Ever gossip train to Jaunt Jolie, tomorrow.

They would probably just laugh. 

“Jade, please. Go now.” Chinhae said, putting his hand over hers and closing her fingers over the handkerchief. His voice, usually slow and measured, was speeding up, taking on a slightly frantic edge. “You need medical attention. I don’t know _anything_ about medicine. The only things I know anything about are romantic literature, music, expensive jewellery and politics. Did you know I’m shit at maths? That’s, what, half of science? I can’t even divide big numbers, let alone do medicine. Marcus might know something helpful, but we’d have to find him first. I thought I heard him earlier by the caves but he’s probably moved since then, and even then, I don’t know if the forest has what we need, and we’ll probably get killed on the way there, or something like that, and the sound of your breathing is scaring me, I-- what?”

Jade shook her head and looked away, faintly amused by his rather skilled, if unwitting, impression of her usual big mouth. Maybe he was less calm than she’d thought. Maybe he was as frightened as she was.

There was something vaguely comforting in that notion.

She nodded, slowly. Chinhae exhaled quietly, presumably in relief. Then he gave her a faint smile and squeezed her hand, before dropping it and rising, retreating a few steps.

“I'll see you soon." He said. Then his tone changed. "Colette's going to be _right_ behind you."

The last thing Jade saw before she dropped her handkerchief was how cold his expression had suddenly become.

No wonder he was friends with Rosalind. 

* * *

“We know you’re here, witch!”

Rosalind, sitting in the shrubbery to the side of the Turquoise Thicket, raised her eyebrows at the bloodied, panting appearance of Colette and Lief. Both were clearly injured, and must have just fled a fight. 

“Do you think they’ve been saying that at every landmark they come to?” she scoffed. 

“Can they see us?” asked Amelie nervously. Ros shrugged. 

“Probably not.” she said softly. If she had the energy, she’d try to illusion it so they couldn’t be seen, but if she was frank with herself, she was too tired. Had she been alone, perhaps she could, but she’d spent so long trying to ensure no one would see Amelie as a target, tonight…

“Come on out!” shouted Leif. “We want a fair fight!”

“Bit cocky for two people who seem to have lost allies.” Ros remarked quietly to Amelie. “Think we can send them out? It’s a fair fight.”

Amelie swallowed nervously.

“Maybe. If I do a Lights Out spell, I could steal Colette’s flag. And Lief…”

“I can take him.” snorted Ros. _“Look_ at them. A strong wind would blow them over. A well-placed Stun Spell the second the lights come back up will do it, he can’t anticipate it. Stay behind me once you have her flag, she’s a vicious little witch.”

Amelie nodded quickly and lit her fingerglow behind her back. Rosalind smiled, creeping behind a tree. 

“We’re wasting time.” said Colette loudly. “Either she’s going to comply, or she isn’t. Hurry _up!”_ she shouted in their vague direction. 

So maybe she _could_ see them. Grimacing, Ros looked back at Amelie, who nodded slowly. She looked nervous. Understandable, since they were her classmates.

“On the count of three.” she said. Ros nodded. 

“One…” Amelie said softly. “Two…”

Ros slowly stepped out from behind the tree, stepped over the log, turned to the Evers...

There was a _bang,_ a flash of light, Amelie shrieked--

Ros was thrown forwards into the Turquoise Thicket with such aggression that her head slammed into the ground, and she blacked out for several seconds.

* * *

When she came round, her arms were tied behind her around a thin birch tree, and Colette was in her face, grinning.

“Not so mighty now, hmm?” she said sweetly. 

_They have help,_ was Rosalind’s first thought. There was someone else. It must have been Kelly, or Rupert, the missing cronies. They had to have been hiding in the woods behind she and Amelie, and one of them had stunned her--

_Amelie._

Ros’s first Stun Spell ricocheted off the floor and went wild, missing Colette-- though from the yells behind her, she narrowly missed Leif. Her second was lined up almost immediately--

Colette slapped her across the face, cutting her cheek with her nails.

“Don’t be a pain.” she snapped. Ros tried to turn her head, to look for Amelie, and Colette caught her jaw.

“If you’re looking for Adrian’s brat, she can’t come to help you. We got her good.”

Ros stared at her. 

_“Jade?”_ she sneered. “Why would I want _Jade_ to come and save me? What can she do, apart from blow herself up with a failed Stun Spell?”

Colette looked momentarily startled. 

“She was telling the truth?” came Leif’s voice, confused. Colette blinked...

But after a moment, her face settled.

_“Oooops.”_ she drawled. “Oh well. Never mind. That’s one more obstacle out of the way.”

“You thought Jade was working with _me?”_ demanded Ros furiously--

Then Colette’s previous words came to her. _We got her good._

“What did you do to her?” she snapped. 

Colette shrugged, but there was a note of maddened glee creeping into her voice. 

“People being led into traps, having hallucinations… turned out that she could mimic voices pretty well. We put a stop to that. But the _physical_ hallucinations… no, that’s all you.” She took her by the lapel and shook her. “Tell me what you did! Spiked our drinks with some witchy potion? Put a spell on us to confuse us? Whatever you’re doing, it _must_ be cheating. Tell me!”

Rosalind ignored her. She was trying to look over her shoulder for Amelie, but Colette was too in her face, and still holding her chin. If she could scare the other girl badly enough… make herself look like a bear or something… she might be able to break the binds.

“You’re pathetic.” Ros said coldly, feeling her fingerglow light again. “Whatever ridiculous, half-baked stunt you’re trying to pull, you’re going to fail. In front of all your precious mummies and daddies, at that. You think you can still win against Sam? Dominique? Marcus? _Chinhae?”_

At the mention of Chinhae, Colette’s face darkened. Ros barked a laugh. 

“Chinhae? Is that why you all look like you’ve been savaged? Oh, you fucked up! He’s still in here, and you _know_ he’s coming for you, don’t you?”

Hope was sparking in her chest. If Chinhae was following them, he’d surely run across all of this. In any other circumstance, she would have been horrified to have to be rescued by Chinhae, but Amelie certainly wasn’t going to be able to rescue herself--

She looked back into Colette’s face, and was startled by the look in her eyes. Savage. Almost unhinged. 

“I’ve already won.” she spat. “I’ve outsmarted you.”

_“Have_ you.” said Rosalind, unimpressed. “Evers love to say that, but I’ve yet to see the day where they manage it.”

“Then clearly you haven’t been looking hard enough.” spat Colette. She wrenched away from Ros and, with relish, turned to her cronies lined up nearby. As Ros suspected, there were now two. Who was the third? Leif, and a girl. Kelly, she supposed. Ros squinted, trying to make out the face--

“Hand over Rosalind’s flag, won’t you, dear?” said Colette. The girl stepped forward. Rosalind stared. Her flag? It was hidden in the waistband of her chainmail, under the armour. Impossible to find, unless you knew where it was, and Ros had told no one, _no one,_ except--

Silently, the girl lifted her head and held out the red handkerchief.

Except Amelie. 

Horror spread through Rosalind so fast it nearly choked her. She doubled over, all of the colour bleeding out of her face.

“Amelie,” she croaked. _“Amelie!_ What are you doing?”

Amelie didn’t seem to hear her, face hidden in the deep cowl of her cloak. 

“Amelie!” cried Ros. “Don’t give it to her! What are you-- what--”

Amelie’s insistence that they came to the Thicket, rather than the Brook.

Her supposedly _accidental_ shouting of her name, as she’d run towards those Nevers.

Her constant fear, the constant need for Rosalind to exert her magic to hide her.

The plan that Amelie had concocted.

The Stun Spell.

The Stun Spell _from behind._

Rosalind stood, utterly frozen. 

_Sounds like conspiracy, doesn’t it?_

Colette smiled widely at her, almost manically. 

“I don’t think much of these royals.” she laughed. “You’re all bark and no bite.”

Ros was barely listening. She intended to shout, but her throat was constricted, and she only whispered it;

“You betrayed me.” Then it burst out of her; _“YOU BETRAYED ME!”_

Amelie shook her head desperately, but her eyes were still fixed on the ground. Why did she bother? There was no denying it. She wasn’t tricked, or compelled, or controlled. She’d done it on purpose. Oh, Ros should have seen it from the first! No Ever was _that_ kind, or that unassuming, or that gentle. There was always a flaw in them. A part where the sweetness had rotted and warped. _Bad candy,_ like Hester always said. A story gone wrong. 

“Don’t you want to know how? Why?” cooed Colette. “Nevers _love_ a monologue.”

“I don’t care _how.”_ spat Ros. “I don’t care _why._ I don’t want anything to do with a _traitor._ A _liar.”_

She directed these last insults at Amelie, who flinched. Colette rolled her eyes.

“Well, then. Whatever.”

She held up Rosalind’s flag, dangling it between forefinger and thumb. Rosalind stared at her, numb. Her back was throbbing from the Stun Spell. _Amelie’s_ Stun Spell. Her eyes were stinging. The grass underfoot was dry and crunchy, not muddy, like the path through the Sleeping Willows that Amelie had made by conjuring rainclouds…

Conjuring rainclouds.

Behind the tree, her fingerglow was burning. 

An idea. She had an idea.

“Drop it.” she said. “Go on. _Drop it.”_

“Any last words?” snorted Rupert.

“I’ll have the last laugh.” said Ros, almost vaguely. Clouds were gathering above. Dark ones. Threatening rain. Maybe more.

Colette cackled, unimpressed.

“Ooh, I’m sure we will! What are you going to do? Take over the school like your auntie? All hail the witch!”

“There’s something in that.” said Ros softly. Colette just laughed.

“Well,” she said. “Goodbye, witch.”

Rosalind leaned back against the tree, watching as the red handkerchief slipped between Colette’s fingers, beginning to flutter towards the ground--

Thunder rumbled. All four Evers looked up.

Just as the flag hit the ground, Ros cast the spell.

Howling with rage, she snapped her bonds and brought down the biggest strike of lightning she could. 

With an almighty _boom,_ it tumbled down from the clouds, bursting into a hundred snakeline tendrils-- 

And smashed into the birch just as Rosalind disappeared.

It cleaved it in two in a blinding flash of light and fire, and the force of its landing was so powerful that Colette was blasted backwards into the other two, all three of them tumbling to the ground--

The light was so intense that no one saw the flash as Rosalind was sent back to the Clearing. 

* * *

But she was.

What felt like an eternity, but was probably only actually a second later, Ros landed on her hands and knees in the grass of the chaotic, roaring Clearing.

Ears ringing, she hunched on the ground, squeezing her eyes shut. She could still see the white flash of the lightning strike floating in her vision, and her whole hand was burning from the effort that it had taken to summon it.

Raiden was roaring into the microphone;

_"That'll teach you, stupid little sods! You think Rosalind would just_ ** _let_** _you send her out? Just like that?_ _Left you a present, hasn't she? What a spell!"_

Whether anyone was actually listening to him was somewhat doubtful. People were shouting, stomping their feet, bellowing, Evergirls and grandmothers and little sisters were screaming, and everyone seemed to be speculating amongst themselves;

"Is she hurt?"

"Maybe she hit herself with it."

"She looks like she's going to pass out."

"Not so scary anymore, is she?"

"She _betrayed_ her--"

Rosalind flinched, digging her hands into the grass. Hearing it confirmed made it a thousand times worse.

"Good on Amelie!"

She scratched her nails into the mud.

" _So_ impressive!"

Grass tore under her hands. Then--

"Get out of my way!"

Ros tensed, and raised her head just enough to look through her hair.

Tedros shunted a gaggle of Neverboys aside and vaulted the rail, rushing across the field towards her.

Ros put her head down again. She couldn't face him now. Not now, not after she'd made all his mistakes and a thousand more besides. He’d tried to warn her, or something had. But she’d not remembered. Not in the way she should have--

Hands closed around her shoulders.

"Ros? Are you alright?" Tedros crouched next to her, the familiarly shaky note of panic evident in his voice. "Ros? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

Ros shook her head silently.

"Can you stand up?"

Suddenly, Ros was very aware that she was still hunched in the mud, in front of the majority of her classmates, and their families.

She lurched to her feet too fast, and would have fallen if Tedros hadn't grabbed her and started walking her, quickly, towards the stands. Evidently he'd noticed that everyone was staring at her, too. 

"I'm sorry." Tedros said quietly, helping her up the steps. "I understand."

"I failed you." Ros croaked. "You said not to repeat your mistakes, and--"

"Don't be ridiculous." said Tedros roughly. "You've done better than I ever did."

Ros didn't get the chance to question it, because the second they reached their seats, Alex was lunging across to crush her in a hug.

_"Ros,_ I was so worried--"

Ros put her head against Alex's neck and inhaled the incongruous scents of the gunpowder from the _Curses!_ set, and that weird nutmeg face cream she always used. She'd only just realised how hard she was shaking.

“It was a brilliant spell.” said Agatha quietly, hand on to the back of Rosalind’s head, smoothing her hair. Ros went to pull away, keenly aware she was going to appear vulnerable to her classmates--

Raiden saved her. 

"Holy _shit."_

Everyone whirled to the Spellcast, and several people yelled, shocked by whatever was happening in the forest.

Ros didn't even bother to look. She slumped against Alex, shaking harder than ever. Alex yanked her into the seat next to her, and Tedros sat on her other side.

"I'm sorry, Ros." said Alex sadly. "I thought she was a good sort."

"Everyone did, by the look of it." said Agatha grimly. "Everyone gasped."

Ros opened her mouth to respond--

"I guess she must have been hiding somewhere nearby, because, as we can see, everyone's favourite Sammy has taken off after Amelie--"

Ros jerked. Tedros grabbed her hand and squeezed, hard. Ros squeezed back, teeth clenched. 

"--presumably to get even for her roommate. As everyone knows, Samiya and I are just _so_ fond of one other--" several people laughed-- "but you know what, I think I approve of this move. Well done, Sammy."

The Spellcast angle changed, to a sweeping shot of the forest--

Raiden yelped, and Ros had to appreciate his theatricality.

" _Ros!_ You mad genius! Casting a lightning strike in a bone dry forest! Look how fast that’s spreading! She's left behind a forest fire!"

People gawked at the flames on the Spellcast. Some people shrieked. A couple of Nevers cheered.

"I know what you're doing." whispered Tedros.

Ros's eyes shot over to him.

"I wish I could have done it." he said.

"What am I doing?"

"I might not be able to tell like Alex or Marcus, but I know well enough."

Ros stared narrowly at him. 

“When they said first year spells couldn’t get in, I don’t think they thought to include talents.” said Tedros. 

Ros looked sharply away. 

“Well, you don’t have a talent.”

Tedros didn’t look very bothered, even though she was being too brusque with him.

"No. But if I could have stopped myself from looking such a fool, I'd have done it in a heartbeat. No one will laugh at you _,_ now." 

This assertion coiled tightly in Rosalind's chest.

_No one will laugh at you_ _now_.

"I wasn't sure if it would work."

"It appears to be working."

"It's half and half." said Ros, teeth clenched.

Tedros smiled thinly. Ros stared, fascinated.

"Sometimes, I think that you're every bit as wicked as me."

"Don't let Edward Persians hear you say that." said Tedros smoothly.

For a minute, they stared at the flames in silence. 

Alex leaned over.

"They're shiny."

"Very shiny." agreed Ros.

They shared a glance, for a second. Rosalind turned away, and found her mother smirking at her.

"Cheat." 

"Isn't cheating in order to help a sibling win something of a family tradition?"

"I suppose it is--" Agatha's eyes snapped back to the front. "Ros, Marcus."

Ros whipped back to the Spellcast, heart slamming. This was the bit she wasn't sure about. Half real and half fake it might be, but would he know that? Or would he assume it was all real?

Marcus was staring at the fire, left arm held close to his chest.

“What happened to him?” demanded Ros.

“Leif hit him with his shield.” assured Alex quickly. “Nothing to do with you.”

Ros sagged, slightly relieved. But now, he needed to understand, to be able to tell, not to panic…

But Marcus never panicked. Even as Ros had the thought, his shoulders jerked up.

"He's got it, he's got it--" hissed Alex. 

To Rosalind’s surprise, Marcus lit his fingerglow. What was he--

"Wait, what's happening?" demanded Raiden. "Has Marcus thought of some kind of spell to help him--?"

_Oh._

Marcus turned and leapt into the flames. 

"He has!" roared Raiden. "He's got some fancy nerdy spell! Bet you wish you'd paid attention in class now, you bastards, eh--? No, Professor, I meant it in an endearing way, I did--!"

Ros looked up, incredulous, at the podium they were sat at the base of. How had he and Marcus managed to have the same idea, at the same time?

She found Raiden staring down at her.

He didn't do anything, and neither did she, but he and the twins had always understood each other well.

He was helping them maintain the illusion. Rosalind’s talent didn’t have to be revealed to everyone. Not yet.

Ros could have kissed him, had that not been incredibly disagreeable to both of them.

_Thank you,_ she mouthed.

"Oh my _god_." cried an Evergirl in front of them.

Ros turned.

The Spellcast had turned to an overhead shot, and it wasn't hard to understand why the girl had cried out.

A good three quarters of the forest was aflame. 

Raiden shifted above her, and she looked up at him again. 

He shot her a pointed look, then turned back to the microphone.

He was helping maintain the illusion, Marcus was helping maintain the illusion, and Ros--

Slowly, Rosalind stood up.

In the forest, people were screaming, and stampeding. There had to be at least eleven left in there, all of them sprinting desperately--

A flash of white, and an Evergirl appeared in the clearing, sobbing. Evers came running towards her, she raised her head--

Ros recoiled and turned away. 

She could hear Alex and Agatha whispering furiously as Dean Fournier went rushing down to see Amelie.

Who was looking at Ros.

Ros didn’t bother to look back.

Now the Spellcast angle had changed, focused on a specific group; Leif and Colette, stampeding through the fire, streaked with soot. Colette had clearly gotten burned, and Leif's head was tilted as if his ear was damaged--

Behind her, Alex gasped.

"Ros, I forgot to tell you! Before he went after you, Colette and that lot caught and strangled that skinny kid, they thought she was helping you. Colette nearly killed her, I went to see her in the infirmary--"

Ros whirled to her, bewildered.

"Who? _"_

"Er, the Jaunt Jolie one? The one with wonky teeth like me, I think she's roommates with Amelie--"

" _Jade_?"

"Yeah, Jade."

Ros stared unseeingly forwards. Colette had _strangled_ Jade. Jade was only little. She’d probably nearly killed her.

"I went to see her, ‘cos I don't think anyone in her family came." said Alex sadly. "No visitors."

Guilt caught in Rosalind's stomach, but she bashed it down.

She'd go and see Jade later. 

For now--

"They made a mistake." she said.

A burning log fell in front of Colette, and she tumbled backwards, knocking Leif into a heap.

Below, Amelie was being helped to her feet, staring up at the Spellcast in horror.

Tedros leaned back a little. Ros could only see him out of the corner of her eye, but she thought he looked anticipatory.

_I wish I could have done it._

Leif staggered to his feet, utterly off balance. Several others ran across his path. Colette was crying.

More people appeared in the Clearing, Evers and Nevers both, clutching burns or coughing or just crying hysterically-- 

The crowd were shouting, the competitors were screaming, Colette was turning this way and that, utterly trapped--

Ros started to laugh. 

She clutched the railing as the competitors ran, as Amelie was led off to the medics and Colette was boxed in by fire, and laughed, _screamed_ with it, cackled like a proper witch. 

_No one will laugh at you now._

No one would laugh at all. No one apart from Ros herself. 

After all, she had warned Colette that she’d have the last laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *screams of horror* NOT THE NARRATIVE PARALLELS BETWEEN FATHER AND DAUGHTER IN SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT CONTEXTS THAT WERE FORESHADOWED IN PREVIOUS CHAPTERS  
> also yeah I indulged both a little bit of Never!Ted and the hc that the Pendragons are a bit Seer-inclined in here, just kinda coz. anyway I would say I hope you had fun but this was not fun. at all. next chapter is not really fun either. sorry OCs ur taking a battering. apart from Marcus he's doin ok. go white boy go


	17. 'tis but a scratch-- A SCRATCH??? YOUR ARM'S OFF!!

Out in the Woods, someone shouted, and Marcus jolted awake, nearly slipping off the bough he was hunched on.

_ How could he have fallen asleep _ ? 

Cursing himself, but lauding his good luck at not being caught, he struggled to get down, keeping his bad arm close to his chest. Who had just screamed? It hadn't sounded pained. More angry. As if--

Another. A furious howl echoed through the forest, and Marcus dropped down from the tree, panicked. He’d never heard the sound before, but he knew the voice better than his own. 

Rosalind. 

Horrified, he scrabbled to his feet--

There was a bang like a cannon blast, and a flash so bright Marcus recoiled. People in the trees around him screamed. 

Hands clamped over his screeching ears, Marcus realised he recognised the source. It was a lightning spell. An incredibly potent one.

Heart pounding, Marcus opened his eyes again, white spots dancing in his vision-- 

On the Never board,  _ Rosalind _ went dark.

Marcus only just stopped himself from crying out.

He clamped his hands over his mouth and crumpled back against the tree, shaking. He felt sick. Somewhere in the distance, there was cheering. Evers. They'd managed to get her.

Marcus squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to cry. What had they  _ done _ to her? Had that spell been intended for her? Had--

The cheers suddenly stopped, crashing into each other and petering out. For a moment, there was silence. 

Then the screaming started.

Marcus whirled towards the direction of the barrier and strained to hear the commentary. He could hear Raiden, just;

" _That'll teach you, stupid little sods! You think Rosalind would just_ ** _let_** _you send her out like that?_ _Left you a present, hasn't she? What a spell, ladies and gents!"_

Marcus sagged a little, relieved. Raiden didn’t sound particularly worried, so Ros couldn’t be badly hurt. But there was a hint of tension in his roommate's voice that suggested something unexpected. What was this  _ present _ that Ros had left? Had she cast that lightning strike? But the reaction had been delayed, so--

Something caught his eye. Something flickering. A light, or a glow, almost like--

Like fire.

Slowly, Marcus turned.

Fire was crawling from the east, from where the lightning strike had been. 

Oh, yes. 

She  _ had _ cast that strike.

Slowly, Marcus backed away, against the nearest tree; then leapt away, swearing, when he realised there was fire in that direction, too. It was  _ impossible,  _ completely impossible, for the flames from the lightning strike to have spread that fast… and yet, here they were. Had Ros accelerated their spread or potency, somehow? Increased the flammability of the forest? Marcus didn’t think the enchantments the Blue Forest is under should have made it more flammable than typical forests, but flames were crawling  _ everywhere _ , leaping into blue bushes and onto branches, black smoke billowing into the air. 

_ Ros had caused a forest fire. _

And Marcus was still _ in the forest. _

He glanced at the Ever board.

_Amelie, Chinhae, Dominique,_ and _Sam_ were all still lit up. Half of her friends were still in here, too, what was she _thinking?_ _Ros--_

Heaving deep breaths in an attempt to compose himself, Marcus stared at the circle of fire surrounding him. He could see one of the Spellcast orbs hovering behind him. He decided to ignore it, despite an urge to smack it as hard as possible, and gazed at the fire, desperately trying to think. His arm must be more injured than he'd thought, because everything he was looking at looked oddly... shiny. He hoped he wasn’t going into shock. Most impractical. But looking at the fire, it almost had the same shine as one of Rosalind's--

Marcus jerked.

_ One of Rosalind's illusions. _

He whipped his head up. The trees  _ themselves _ didn’t have the same effect, only the fire on them. The same for the grass, the bushes, the flowers, the--

Devious, scheming, manipulative Ros.

Genius Ros. 

Not a real fire at all.

The barriers were enchanted to stop some spells being cast into the arena. They weren't enchanted against well-concealed  _ talents _ . 

Marcus had never been so happy about Rosalind's inclination to cheat in his life. 

Practically faint with relief, he put his good hand against the tree to steady himself--

And yanked it away with a yelp.

The tree was hot. 

_ How… _

Marcus knew full well Rosalind's illusions were restricted to visual and a little sound. She could do the crackling, and the looks, but she couldn’t do physical feelings or temperatures or--

The lightning.

There was no way that  _ couldn't _ have caused a fire. 

So that meant that…

Marcus turned in a circle. The fire to the east, where the strike had been wasn't shiny, not like the fire to his back.

Some of it was real.

Some of it was fake.

No one could tell which was which. People probably wouldn’t even realise one  _ was _ an illusion, especially not the people closest to the real fire. There was no real way of telling, unless you tried to touch it, and who was going to try to touch fire?

No one could tell.

No one except Marcus. Ros was helping him survive.

No, not just that. She was helping him to  _ win. _

Dizzy, Marcus stared vaguely at the fire. Animals stampeded past him, flushed out of the trees by the flames. He knew his sister. Ros wouldn’t-- and  _ couldn’t-- _ just hand it to him. He needed to play a part, too. They did their best work together, as proven earlier. Marcus and Rosalind. Genius and Devious. 

So, what did he need to…

Faintly, he remembered the Spellcast orb behind him.

Oh. 

To make the faux nature of some of the fires obvious, and allow the remaining competitors to glean that from Raiden’s commentary, was a risky business. Aside from the fact he might accidentally lead some of his friends into getting burnt, it might mean people would deliberately pursue him. He doesn’t want that. 

Instead, he needed to do what they  _ thought  _ he was going to do; use some nerdy tactic to survive. 

His eyes fell upon the animals blundering past him, and he let his thought process show on his face. If he followed them, surely he would find a way through the flames, to a water source; they knew the forest better than any map. 

That would serve as a good explanation, and a good tactic to avoid the  _ real  _ fire. 

Still, just in case... 

He lit his fingerglow and made a dramatic turn back to the fire.

"Wait, what's happening?" demanded Raiden's voice in the distance. "Has Marcus thought of some kind of spell to help him through the fire?"

Marcus and Rosalind and  _ Raiden _ . 

Marcus didn’t think he ought to count himself out quite yet. Raiden might not be in the Trial, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t help them.

Rosalind's illusions would remain illusions for as long as possible. 

Marcus stabbed his finger at the fire, took a deep breath, and plunged into the flames.

* * *

Sam tore through the burning woods, chasing the hem of Amelie's ripped cloak.

Ashen twigs and crumbling leaves whipped at her face and scraped her cheeks, but she didn’t stop, or care. Rosalind's revenge was a clever one. There were only patches of real fire-- a lot of it was illusion. 

Unfortunately, Sam had found that out the painful way, and now her burnt shin and calf had gone from smarting to searing.

Still, she didn’t stop.

"AMELIE!" she bellowed. Again, no response, but Sam could hear her gasping and shuddering for breath somewhere in front, more than before. Good. She was tiring her out. She was a prim, perfumed Lady; no match for Sam, and she probably knew it.

Good.

Sam hoped she keeled over and died.

_ Nevers _ were the liars?  _ Nevers _ were the deceivers and the manipulators and the  _ traitors _ ?

"TRAITOR!" Sam howled. " _ TRAITOR _ !"

Amelie stumbled. Sam gained ground, gritting her teeth against the pain in her burnt leg. She didn’t make much of a habit of feeling sorry for people, but Rosalind was her _friend_ , her only friend in this bloody place, unless she counted Raiden. But Raiden was… well, _Raiden,_ and _friend_ was a stretch no matter how and she wasn’t sure she counted the rest of the Evers trustworthy at the moment _._

Even the remaining Nevers had made no move to save Rosalind, though Sam was  _ sure  _ a few had been nearby when she’d arrived, too late to rescue Ros but with  _ plenty  _ of time to clout Colette in the face and chase after Amelie. Sam thinks the only Never who would have tried was Dominique, and they were on the opposite side of the forest, last time Sam saw. 

Not exactly atypical for Nevers, but for Evers…? 

Sam was sure there was a backstory for Amelie’s behaviour. Unfortunately for the other girl, she wasn’t interested in hearing it. All  _ she  _ knew is that she’d deliberately betrayed Ros.

In front of her, Amelie stumbled on a log--

Sam stabbed out a hand, grabbed the hood of Amelie's cloak, and yanked her backwards.

Amelie shrieked, fell backwards, and slammed into Sam, knocking her over. 

Both girls landed in a heap, but Sam, used to brawls, was already scrabbling to hold her down;

" _ Where's your fla-- _ "

She stopped, startled as Amelie started to sob.

"Sam, I didn't want to, I didn't--"

Oh, great.

"Shut your face." snapped Sam, rifling in her pockets. "Where's your flag? Tell me."

But Amelie was practically hysterical, heaving with sobs. Sam gritted her teeth, irritated, as she persisted;

"Sa-Sam, you've got to b-believe me, tell--tell Ros, I had no choice--"

"Aww, you'd no  _ choice _ . Poor  _ baby _ , poor Amelie, forced to sell Ros out to Colette and her slobbering cronies. Could've pretended you  _ didn't know _ , you think of that? Or, you know, just practiced some Good values? Valor? Honor? All that?" 

Amelie cried harder. 

"Where's your  _ flag _ ?" Sam barked, impatient.

"Boot. Left one." Choked Amelie, tears rolling down her face. Surprised she'd told her, Sam scrabbled in Amelie's boot and found the scrap of white fabric.

"Fab.” she said. “Bye.”

She threw the handkerchief into the bushes, and was up and running even before Amelie disappeared.

* * *

Chinhae might have been injured, but it hardly mattered.

Colette was screeching at Leif, somewhere ahead, and he could hear her perfectly. He could hear the crunch of their feet against the dry grass, see their silhouettes even though they were still far away-- and could tell which patches of this fire were fake. There was no warmth to Rosalind’s illusions, whereas he could feel the blaring heat of the real fire to his back, even though it was at least twenty feet away, now. 

In essence, his talent, his enhanced senses, made him a glorified tracker. A  _ very  _ good one. 

Unfortunately, it also meant he could feel the pain in his thigh even more acutely.

Gritting his teeth, Chinhae lumbered through another patch of fake fire, ignoring how the leg of his breeches was wet with blood and sticking cloyingly to his thigh, trying his best to move silently but not really succeeding. He wasn’t sure it mattered. Colette and Leif clearly had no concept of the fake fire-- they were huddled together in the middle of a circle of flaming branches and bushes, loudly arguing over the merits of trying to jump over it. Leif had one hand over his ear, and Colette’s nose was bleeding, clearly injured by the impact of Rosalind’s lightning strike. 

Good. A fairer fight, then. 

Amelie was absent, having been chased in the opposite direction by Sam-- Chinhae had seen them run past him as he’d pursued Colette and Leif. Not many left, now. Everyone was about to get more desperate to stay until sunrise, because now they were in with a chance.

Well. Colette and Leif weren’t in with any chance at all. 

Colette’s flag was there, in her sleeve. And Leif’s… Chinhae could just see a smidgen of white at his collar.

He drew one of his swords. He didn’t really have a plan. Usually, he was careful, considered; everything already thought through in detail, weighed up, and cautiously executed. But now, something was burning in his chest. Maybe he should have been more wary; they’d gotten Jade, and Ros, after all. 

Jade and Ros, but not Chinhae. 

He’d go easy on them, for now. 

The most important rule echoed in his mind, in Hepzibah's voice:  _ the Good forgive. _

Again and again he heard it, like a weak punchline to some sick joke.

_ The Good forgive. _

Ros was right. Chinhae didn’t make jokes.

Above the trees, white fireworks sprayed, and  _ Amelie  _ went dark on the boards. Sam had caught her, then. 

This would be over quickly. 

* * *

Earlier, Jade had been briskly handed over to a couple of nymphs. 

Mercifully silent, they had led her into the infirmary, which was already busy with injured students and fretting families. Jade kept her head turned away, teeth clenched, as she sat down on one of the empty beds. They peeled her soaked clothes and battered chainmail off her, and treated the various cuts, bruises and one sizable burn mark from her stun spell. They gave her a new shirt, about six sizes too big for her... 

And  _ then  _ they went to work on her neck.

Jade was forced to look straight forwards while the nymphs worked on her, cleaning the cuts from Colette's fingernails and smearing various things on her throat that didn't really feel like they were doing much. While the pain should probably have distracted her, Jade found herself watching the other people in the room, nursing broken fingers or burns or black eyes-- but surrounded by their parents or siblings or grandparents, trying to reassure them, comfort them, praise their efforts in the trial and their bravery now. 

Jade blinked hard. Her head hurt more now, the ache concentrating behind her eyes. 

The nymphs finished whatever they were doing and floated off, leaving a glass of water and some chocolatey looking thing Jade knew she wasn’t going to be able to swallow  _ or _ stomach on the bedside table. She slumped against the sheets, holding the glass in her grimy hand and forcing the water down. Nobody came over to her, or so much as glanced at her. 

She was glad for it. 

Someone was mumbling to themselves, swearing. A few aunts discussed the pros and cons of blemish-vanishing mirrors. Jade stared at the ceiling and wished she'd never been naive enough to think she could actually succeed at this stupid school--

A big pair of brown eyes loomed over her.

"Hiya." 

Jade sat up so fast her vision went blurry, and she swayed. Her visitor clamped a big hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Ooh careful, how are you feeling?" Alex of Camelot, Camelot’s best knight, comedy mastermind of  _ Curses!  _ asks brightly. "You can lie down, you don't have to sit up--" 

Jade shuffled to sit against the headboard, suddenly self conscious. 

"Can’t talk much, huh?” Alex said. “Not surprising. Looked pretty grim." 

Jade winced. So they’d shown it, had they?

“But don’t worry, I chat enough for both of us!” Alex said brightly. “Although Ros said that usually, you talk a lot..." 

Jade wilted, horrified. As cool as Ros was,  _ Alex _ was the supreme in Jade’s eyes; confident, unabashed, strong, tall, funny. Lots of good friends. Her father’s favourite.

_ Curses  _ had been in Jaunt Jolie over the summer, and Jade had snuck out to see it. She’d climbed out the kitchen window, down the trellis, and run two miles to the field they’d set up in. Her family had found out, of course, because a stable boy who was desperate to win Emmelina's favour had snitched, but it had been more than worth it. 

So, knowing that Ros has probably already painted a scathing picture of her to her hero was a little disheartening. 

"Actually, between them, Marcus and Ros have told me quite a lot about you..." Alex was saying thoughtfully-- then frowned when she saw Jade’s face. "What d’you look so worried about? None of it's  _ bad.” _

Jade snatched the notepad by the bed. It didn’t have a pen, though, so she mimed writing and looked hopefully at Alex. 

(Alex retrieved six tissues, a length of wire, three  _ not  _ working pens, a tiny ceramic model of a duck, and a leaf from her jacket pockets before she finally found a pen that worked.) 

_ ROS DOESN’T LIKE ME, _ Jade scribbled out. 

Alex squinted at it--

"What? Really? She didn't say that."

_ SHE TOLERATES ME, AT BEST. _

"Bollocks, Ros doesn't  _ tolerate _ anyone." Alex leant back and started rifling through the snacks the nymphs left. “It’s like or dislike. Just depends whether she shows it or not.”

_ WHAT DID THEY TELL YOU? ABOUT ME? _

Alex pursed her lips, waving an eclair about in one hand.

"Er… I know your name's Jade, you’re a Princess of Jaunt Jolie. Princess Royal, like me. Marcus says you're friendly. Chatty. Ros says the same thing, but less nicely. She told me you were a bit like me, except smaller. Can’t be a bad thing, eh?" 

She grinned widely at Jade. Then frowned.

"Hm. You  _ are  _ a lot smaller than me. What are you, five foot four, at absolute best?" 

Jade reluctantly holds up three fingers. 

"Five  _ three!"  _ Alex said, astonished. "But Marcus told me you fought another girl and won the other month. And you put up a good fight earlier… oh, you have siblings, right? That’ll be it. Sibling beef.” she nodded wisely. “Yeah, me and Ros were terrible for fighting when we were kids. It was usually in good humour. Usually.” 

Jade, who couldn’t imagine Ros physically scrapping with  _ anyone--  _ she was always so pristine-- blinked.

"Oh, so that means you're first in your family to get in, like me!” realised Alex. “That's cool." 

Jade shrugged. Alex frowned. 

"Why shrug?" 

_ LOW ON THE LEADERBOARD,  _ Jade scribbled. 

"Ohhh. Well, so was I. But it gets better, cause look! Now I’m a quest leader and we’re following a series of atta--" 

Alex's mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened. She looked, briefly, like a panicked possum. 

"Pretend I didn't say that." 

Jade nodded. Alex's face relaxed. 

"Cheers, Pidge."

Jade stared. What had she just called her?  _ Pidge?  _ What did that mean? Did it mean a _ nything?  _

_ WHAT DID YOU CALL ME? _

"Eh? Oh, Pidge? I came up with it just now. I like to have nicknames for people. Pidge is short for pigeon, because you're kind of small and sharp looking, so you look a bit like a bird. Plus, nobody ever sees baby pigeons, and we never saw baby you. You just popped up at that New Year ball when you were about ten."

Jade laughed. It hurt, and ended in an odd gasping sound. Alex squeaked. 

"Don't choke! I'm not medically trained! Actually, I am, me and Sora are the designated quest first aiders, but I don't want to try and remember anything--"

_ I'M FINE,  _ Jade wrote. She hesitated for a second, then tentatively added,  _ I LIKE IT. IT'S FUNNY.  _

"Well, Pidge, it’s a thing.”

Until now, Jade had never noticed that they had the same overly large front teeth; only Alex’s were more crooked. So  _ she _ risked a smile back, a proper one, and Alex beamed wider.

"There! Happy people!" 

Jade realised, with a start, that she  _ was _ almost happy. How odd. She  _ shouldn't _ be; she was injured and embarrassed and exhausted, but Alex was still beaming at her, and it was extremely hard not to be dragged along in the current of her enthusiasm. 

But still… 

_ MARCUS AND ROS? _

"What about 'em?" 

_ YOU SHOULD BE WITH THEM? _

Alex shrugged. "They're still in the forest at the moment, and our parents are here, as well." Her voice took on a rather disapproving tone. "Besides, none of  _ your _ sodding family are here, are they? So I might as well be here instead."

Jade hesitated, astonished, but also somewhat relieved she'd actually acknowledged it--

But almost immediately, Alex's face dropped as she registered her own words.

"I'm sorry, you didn't need reminding-- it just came out--"

But Jade could barely remember the last time she went through a day without some feeling of embarrassment or shame or insecurity, and it didn’t hurt as much as it maybe should have done. She'd known long before today that they wouldn't come; Emmelina wouldn't have been seen dead, and her father probably hadn’t even  _ considered _ showing, sure he would be forced to witness her embarrass herself, and them, for the millionth time. 

He had been right.

Jade tried to shrug in an uncaring sort of way, but it only served to jar her neck, and tears sprung to her eyes unbidden--

Alex seized her and hugged her  _ extremely  _ hard. Jade yelped, surprised. Alex was very solid and very warm and she smelled of paprika and buttered potatoes, which was one of the  _ less _ weird things about her, to be honest. 

Jade blinked back tears over her shoulder, oddly and incredibly relieved, and then--

The door slammed open. 

“Alex, get here now.” panted Sora. “Ros.”

Alex blanched.

“Oh, shit-- gotta go, Pidge, see you later--”

She leapt to her feet and took off with incredible speed after Sora. 

Worried, Jade stared after her. Ros couldn’t be _ in trouble,  _ could she? She was Ros. Jade had never known anyone who could fell Ros.

* * *

She was wrong. 

Barely fifteen minutes later, the door slammed open again, and Jade gawked as Queen Agatha came stalking into the infirmary, pried open the cabinets at the back, and started rifling through the contents. Even the fussy aunts turned, surprised. 

Anemone poked her head out of the back office, frowning. 

“Can’t you just  _ ask  _ for things, Agatha?”

“Thought you were busy.” said Agatha vaguely, squinting at a label. “Is this fennel?”

“Yes, dear.”

Agatha snatched a few stalks out of the pot and shoved them in her cloak pocket. 

“Marcus out already?” asked Anemone sympathetically. 

“No, he’s in there still.” said Agatha shortly, taking a few other ingredients off the shelves. Anemone frowned, but Jade was already turning to the boards, squinting to see them, just visible out of the window--

_ Rosalind  _ was dark. 

Her jaw dropped in horror.  _ Ros?  _ But Ros was indomitable. There was no way any of the other students could possibly have bested her one to one, or even two to one, she was too clever… so what, then? An ambush? A trap from the teachers? Students ganging up on her? It didn’t make sense--

Agatha started heading back down the ward and Jade shrank back against the headboard, praying she wouldn’t notice her. Adrian hated Tedros, and Tedros therefore hated him back, but it was  _ Agatha  _ who really had it out for her father, who always fought with him at summits and smacked down his ideas and--

Agatha stopped at the end of her bed and frowned at her. Jade froze, mortified. 

“You’re Jade, aren’t you?”

Jade hesitated, unable to say anything even if she’d wanted to. 

“Huh.” said Agatha. “Alex was right, you are tiny.”

Jade blinked at her. Her children really  _ did _ look like her. Marcus had almost the exact same eyes and mouth, and Alex had her nose. Even Rosalind had the same colouring and proud profile. 

Without elaborating, Agatha dug in her pockets and threw a small pot onto the sheets.

“Use this on your neck, it’ll heal your throat better than whatever they gave you here. They’re not allowed to use all sorts of more effective herbs in Good, because there’s so much potential for them getting stolen and used as poisons, but…” she shrugged. “I am. If it burns, it means it’s working.”

Stunned, Jade picked up the pot, and went to say  _ thank you, _ but then realised she couldn’t talk--

“I know you can’t talk, don’t worry. Should help with that, too. See you, Jade.”

Agatha shoved the rest of the ingredients into her seemingly endless pockets and went lolloping out, everyone staring after her.  _ Jade _ stared at the pot in her hand, wondering how she’d just happened to have something so topical on her, at this moment--

Then the doors slammed open  _ again,  _ and Jade looked up--

She turned away so fast she hurt her neck, and fumbled desperately with the lid of the pot to try and give herself something to do.

It was Colette, tearstained and muddy, with a profound limp, her face scratched considerably. Her mother, tall and beautiful and dressed in some stupid ruffly monstrosity, was wailing in her wake, with two small sisters trailing anxiously. Colette sank down dramatically onto a bed a few away from Jade, barely conscious, while her mother rushed back and forth, snatching medicines and cold compresses from the nymphs to give her daughter herself. The two little girls clambered onto the end of the bed and stared warily at their older sister. 

"That boy's a  _ barbarian!"  _ Colette's mother was bellowing. Most people turned to stare. “Look what he’s done to my daughter! I will be writing to Empress Eunha about this, I thought this family was supposed to be  _ civilised!” _

Colette let out a convenient sob. Someone snorted nearby, and Jade turned to the bed next to her, the one with the screen around it--

To find Sam sitting on it, peering around the screen with several varieties of snacks clutched in her fist. Jade stared at her, baffled. What was  _ she  _ doing here? She was a Never, she shouldn’t have been in the Ever infirmary--

Sam noticed her.

“I got burnt and threw down my flag.” she said to Jade, as Anemone came marching out of the office and completely failed to notice her. She held out her liberally bandaged left shin. “Plus, superior drama and snacks here. And the Never infirmary is cold.”

Jade raised her eyebrows. Sam caught the intended question. 

“I just came in the back.”

Jade sighed, amused. Sam’s ability to just get in anywhere had always impressed her. 

“Mrs De Claire--” Anemone attempted, but to no avail. Colette’s mother boomed furiously on;

“What on earth did she  _ do _ to deserve such treatment? I  _ demand _ to speak to the School Master! And bring me Prince Chinhae, the second he leaves the Forest--”

“Hey, love, are you forgetting your daughter tried to off a classmate?” Sam shoved the screen aside, speaking loudly over Leif’s dramatic groans as the nymphs dumped him on a corner bed. Jade grimaced at her, trying to stop her, but it was too late; Mrs De Claire had locked onto a target.

“She did no such thing!” she barked. “She was attempting to find her handkerchief, as are the rules--"

Sam grinned lazily. 

“Yeah, no one believes that. Everyone saw the Spellcast. Did you shut your eyes when it came up? Sing a little tune to drown out your daughter’s feral screeching?”

Mrs de Claire swelled furiously. Behind her mother’s back, Colette sat up to glower at Sam. Sam put her middle finger up at her. Sadly, Mrs De Claire did not fail to notice. 

"How  _ dare  _ you--”

“Make your point.” said Sam, unwrapping a fairy cake.

“My daughter was  _ attacked,  _ unprovoked!" Mrs De Claire insisted, marching towards them. Sam looked her up and down and snorted. It appeared spending everyday fighting with Raiden meant you no longer feared death.

"’Unprovoked’ is an interesting way of saying _ ‘Chinhae gave her what she deserved for trying to kill his-- _ ’ uhhh…” she smiled winningly at Jade. “I’ll say _ ‘friend’, _ yeah?”

Jade stared at her.

“Yeah,  _ friend.” _ said Sam. “Anyway, the Trial by Tale is just  _ like  _ that. I got the shit beaten out of me, too, she’s not special. Pretty sure Chinhae went easy on her anyway, ‘cos she's not pouring blood. That kid could do real damage if he wanted, he’s got a  _ craaazy _ spark in his eye--”

Before Mrs De Claire could come up with another loud, nonsensical reply, more people entered the infirmary. Min Seohun, and a nymph, hauling--

Hauling the man of the hour. Chinhae, greyish with what looked like  _ ash,  _ and with blood running in his eyes. He wasn’t resisting at all, barely conscious. 

Jade and Sam gawked. 

"Chae, lie there and stay still." Seohun boomed, slightly unnecessarily, and they deposited him on the bed next to Jade's-- 

And, unfortunately, right in Mrs De Claire's line of fire.

"How  _ dare _ you, boy?" she boomed, wheeling away from Sam (who looked slightly disappointed she was no longer the main target). "What have you done to my daughter, you  _ heathen?” _

Chinhae muttered something incomprehensible in response. Jade wasn’t even sure if he’d heard her. Seohun stood grandly in his defence, shaking out his flowing sleeves.

"Madam, if you could wait until they've treated him--"

"I will not  _ wait!  _ He did not wait for my daughter to explain--"

"Explain her attempt to kill another student?" Sam interjected helpfully. Jade winced and went back to slathering Agatha’s poultice on her neck. Mercifully, the nymphs had now stopped treating Colette, and everyone was provided a respite as Mrs De Claire went rushing over to fuss over her daughter. The nymphs moved calmly on, working to stitch up a nice gash in Chinhae's forehead. Seohun was busy cutting apart his trouser leg with scissors he’d pulled from... somewhere, verbally berating his charge the entire time;

_ "That  _ is a pathetic excuse for a bandage! And you've lost a lot of blood from this leg, why didn't you realise it was so deep--?" 

The fabric came away, and Jade almost gagged. Chinhae was a good liar-- the leg wound he'd assured her was  _ not that deep  _ was extremely deep, and much bigger than she'd realised. 

"Ooh." Sam said. "Ow. That’ll leave a sexy scar. Was that from when Colette stabbed him in the thigh?" 

_ What? _

"What?" Mrs De Claire gasped.  _ "Colette,  _ did you stab him?"

"From behind, when he was fighting those two horrible sweaty boys." Seohun volunteered. 

"You stabbed the  _ heir _ to  _ Avalon Towers _ ?"

Colette's sobs subsided amazingly quickly.

"Mama, he's not helping with the plan at all!" she protested. "I told you about--"

"Not  _ here,  _ girl!" 

Jade looked at Sam, confused, but now Seohun was talking again;

"Get lost, nymphs." he said, the second they were done on Chinhae's head, pulling his sleeve up and gashing himself in the crook of the arm with a silver knife. "I've got this one." 

"Min Seohun, you will absolutely  _ not  _ do that here!” Anemone snapped. He ignored her, using the blood to paint a symbol on Chinhae's leg--

The wound started to close. One of Colette’s little sisters screamed. 

"No black magic healing in the Ever ward!” barked Anemone.

“Too late, professor.” mumbled Chinhae vaguely. 

"It's faster than your wimpy herbs." Seohun barked, teeth clenched in effort. Jade was starting to get the impression no one thought much of Good’s healing methods. 

There was an agonising minute or so. The wound slowly closed, as the blood pooling around Seohun's wrist turned a viscous black. It was as if he was pulling the life out of his own blood and putting it into Chinhae. Frankly, it was scary.

“Cor,” said Sam. “When do you cover that in the curriculum, oh great Seohun?”

“It was a third year extra module offered to the top three students.” sniffed Seohun, looking rather smug. “They don’t just teach  _ anyone.”  _

Jade watched quietly. How funny that Seohun-- who was, by definition, Evil, vain, and selfish-- was here.  _ He  _ was willing to sit for hours in a muddy field with a bunch of weeping mothers, then sacrifice his own blood for a Prince six years his junior, to whom he wasn’t even related in the slightest. Whereas Jade’s own sister, who was all the same things as Seohun, hadn’t even written to her.

Chinhae was technically an only child, but Jade wasn’t so sure that was true, as she watched Seohun slap a bandage around his elbow, point his finger lazily at it to make it tie itself, then lean forward to smooth Chinhae's hair out his face in a rather motherly fashion. 

"Are you blood healing me?" Chinhae asked faintly as the skin finally knitted, leaving an impressive scar, but an undeniably closed one.

"Yes."

"That's dangerous magic."

"I'm a warlock, you fool.” Seohun pinched his cheek, somewhere between affection and reprimand. “Why didn't you leave when you got stabbed, you silly boy?"

"Couldn't yet," Chinhae muttered, struggling to his elbows. "What did that woman want--"

"Er-- maybe don't bother about that now--" Anemone began--

"Mrs De Claire?" Sam said, loudly and with great relish. "She had a wee complaint about your treatment of her daughter." 

"Oh?" Chinhae said, suddenly much more alert.

Said woman had turned to look at them. She probably had the sense to realise she had less of a case, what with Chinhae's nice new leg scar… but Jade had to admit, she was impressed by her sheer shamelessness.

"Yes! Er-- was there  _ really  _ any need for the barbarity with which you  _ attacked _ my daughter?"

"I restrained her for about three seconds until she dropped her flag.” Chinhae said blandly. 

“Really?” said Sam. “Because the Spellcast was  _ messed up  _ and everyone said you bit Leif’s ear off.”

“But by contrast,” Chinhae continued evenly, ignoring Sam, “Colette stabbed me in the leg. As you can see."

"Oh, an eye for an eye, was it?” demanded Mrs De Claire, nostrils flaring impressively. “Don't the true Good, the  _ proper  _ Good, forgive? I wonder what your  _ mother _ would have to say about this--"

"So you wanted me to just skip on past and let your daughter murder someone?" Chinhae demanded. He started trying to get up, and Seohun didn’t really try to stop him, besides some half-hearted protests undermined by his big anticipatory grin. 

"Don't come near my children, you brute, you were supposed to be the  _ epitome  _ of Good, the Society assured us that you'd be--"

"The Society?" Chinhae said sharply. "What do they have to do with it?"

"Has your daughter  _ apologised _ to Jade?" Sam yawned, regaining her metaphorical stick and prodding the metaphorical bear, yet again. Jade really did wonder how she and Raiden hadn’t had each other murdered yet. They were both masters of conflict escalation. 

Everyone turned to look at her, apparently remembering she was there. Cursing Sam for reminding them, Jade gave a confused wave. 

The sight of her seemed to enrage Mrs De Claire all over again.

"Don't pretend you can't talk, she barely touched you!" she shrieked, starting forward, and Jade considered testing how fast she could run on her ankle--

Chinhae lurched up and swerved in front of her slightly unsteadily.

"Mrs De Claire, you may write to my mother all you wish, but for now, I suggest you curb your temper.”

"He could always make you and Colette match.” offered Sam.

"I have brittle bones!" hissed Mrs De Claire. 

"And he has a chunk taken out of his leg, so you two should be evenly matched."

Chinhae did not attempt to contradict this proposal. Mrs De Claire seethed silently for a minute, chest heaving. Everyone waited. There was another, separate commotion occurring over the other side of the room, involving a lot of smoke and aloe Vera, but Jade wasn’t really interested right now.

"I  _ will _ be writing to your mother." seethed Mrs De Claire. "Empress Eunha cannot refuse me. I expected this from the Camelot brats, perhaps, but I thought Avalon Towers had more  _ class _ ."

Chinhae and Seohun looked at each other. Seohun snorted. Mrs De Claire turned dramatically back to her daughter.

"Colette, we shall request a different healing space for yourself and the young man you were with. Dean Anemone!" 

Mrs De Claire marched off, towing Anemone and her smaller offspring. The door had barely slammed behind her before Sam, who had wandered over to stare out of the window, jumped like she’d been shocked.

"Oh, you’re shitting me!”

She limped furiously out into the aisle, twirled in an indecisive circle, and ended up facing them.

"See you later, wounded ones.”

“What?” demanded Chinhae.

“Reckon my roommate in law has just won the whole thing.”

She turned and lumbered out of the doors, burnt leg apparently not enough of an obstacle to stop her.

“Your-- who?” spluttered Chinhae, bewildered-- but Seohun had got there first. 

“MARCUS?” bellowed Seohun, bewildered. “SHIT! I had money on Dominique!” 

He launched himself to his feet and ran after her.

Jade hurled herself at the window so fast she lost her balance and hit her head on the glass.

* * *

Marcus was in the Blue Brook.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was better than being cooked to death by Rosalind’s  _ real _ fire, since that was spreading at a rather rapid rate. 

Holding his sopping cloak over his nose and mouth to keep as much smoke out of his lungs as possible, he hunched in the bulrushes under the bridge and decided to wait it out. It wasn’t long until sunrise, now. From what little of the stars he could see (he’d lost one of his contacts, and the smoke was obscuring some of the sky) it was really only half an hour, at most.

He wasn’t sure who was still in; he couldn’t see the boards at the gates. He’d not seen any fireworks for a while, but he could have been facing away. Possibly three or four. Maybe just two. He hadn’t encountered anyone for a long while, not since he’d run directly into Dominique. They’d looked each other up and down, and almost immediately fled in opposite directions. Perhaps Dominique hadn’t wanted to take their chances with Rosalind if they attacked her brother. Possibly they’d been injured. Maybe they’d just not wanted another fight so late. It was fair enough. 

Shivering, Marcus watched a frog hop across the reeds, pausing at the edge of the river. It jumped, plopped into the water and disappeared. Nothing else moved, save the animals that had fled the fire and now huddled on the bank or in the shallows. A rabbit came sniffing over, then ran away again. 

Was it possible he was the only one left?

...Marcus found that unlikely. He wasn’t the most skilled of the competitors who had entered the forest. That was Chinhae. Or Dominique. Or Ros. 

Then again, Ros had been sent out. Why couldn’t the rest of them?

And  _ he  _ was still in. 

For the first time, a small spark of pride flared in his chest. Even if he wasn’t the only one left, even if he went out now… he’d done well.

All he’d ever wanted to do was to do well. 

He couldn’t hear Raiden’s commentary over this side of the forest. Even if he was on the other side, though, he doubted he would have been able to hear him over the water and the burning forest. 

Marcus wondered whether Jackson was still watching, or whether he’d gone back to the castle. Maybe he’d gone back to the castle. To see Jade, or someone. 

He hoped he was still watching, though.

He peered hopefully about, but the Spellcast orb was nowhere to be seen. Odd. Perhaps someone else was fighting a monster somewhere, or something. 

Marcus looked up at the sky--

And noticed streaks of orange in the east.

Fire? 

Or sunrise? 

Suspicious, he waded out from under the bridge. More orange. Maybe if he got up onto the bank, he’d be able to--

Just as he had the thought, the sun burst over the horizon, piercing light through the thick smoke. 

Marcus stopped, stunned. Sunrise? He’d  _ won--? _

Shouting in the distance. Shadows appeared through the smoke--

Rosalind’s fake fire went out, and the vast majority of the spectators came thundering through the trees.

Marcus was fairly sure he had been supposed to  _ leave  _ the forest, not for everyone to come to  _ him,  _ but apparently enthusiasm had overridden that particular--

“MARCUS! MARCUS, MARCUS--”

Jackson was ahead, barrelling in front of everyone else, outstripping teachers and Evergirls and people’s uncles, practically falling down the bank to get to him. Marcus stared at him, pleased he’d been watching--

He realised what he was going to do slightly too late to stop him.

_ “Jackson,  _ don’t get in the--”

Jackson hurled himself into the brook, screaming with joy. He misjudged slightly, slammed into Marcus, knocked them both over into the shallows-- 

And kissed him.

For the first time in his life, Marcus’s brilliant brain simply stalled. 

But it never completely failed him.

Just as he felt Jackson tense with the realisation that his seemingly good idea might have been a bad one, he caught his collar and kissed him back, pulling him back down into the freezing water. But Jackson’s lips were warm and he had  _ won the Trial  _ but more importantly he was kissing Jackson and--

_ “HAH! _ I WON! I WON THE HONOR BETTING POOL!” 

Jackson jumped so hard his teeth crashed into Marcus’s, and they broke apart abruptly as Raiden’s voice boomed across the forest, given free reign now the barrier over the forest was down. Apparently no one had thought to take the amplifying spell off of him.

“HOW D’YOU LIKE THAT, YOU BASTARDS? AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE TO SHARE, BECAUSE NONE OF YOU BELIEVED ME! FIRST I SAID MARCUS WOULD WIN AND YOU LAUGHED AT ME, AND I ADDED AN EXTRA TEN GOLD PIECES FOR SAYING JACKSON WOULD SNOG HIM IF HE DID, AND YOU DIDN’T LISTEN!  _ COMPENSATION, _ I CALL IT, FOR YOU ALL RUNNING OFF AND LEAVING ME ON THIS RUDDY PODIUM-- oh, hello Sammy--”

“Sorry!” gasped Jackson, seemingly coming to his senses. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to knock you over--”

Marcus laughed, accepting his hand up. 

“It’s fine, I was already soaked--”

People were following Jackson now, floundering into the brook, trying to get to him. Marcus hoped no one else was going to try and kiss him. He’d rather that was Jackson-exclusive--

He looked over Jackson’s shoulder and saw Tedros and Alex on the bank, goggling at him like he’d just grown an extra arm or something. Where was his mother--?

“Move! That’s  _ my  _ kid, I had to give birth to his big bloody head--”

Oh.

Marcus turned to see Agatha shove someone’s father over into the mud, wading towards him. 

“Where are you hurt? Present the limb.”

“I’m not hurt.” said Marcus. 

“Love is one hell of a drug, my son, but you definitely have a fractured arm, gimme. Oh hi, sweetheart, move a moment--”

Agatha gently shunted a baffled Jackson aside and squinted at Marcus’s arm as Alex and Tedros came swearing and arguing down the bank…

But they were one missing.

“Where’s Ros?” demanded Marcus as he was briefly crushed against his father’s chest, then shoved by Alex. 

Alex winced.

“Um--”

The change in mood was obvious, as was the reluctance to tell him… so Marcus turned to the easiest source of information. 

“Dad--”

He didn’t even need to try, because Tedros was already muttering.

“The teachers are furious about her stunt. Fournier thinks she cheated and wants to disqualify her, so Sophie’s fighting with her, and the kids themselves are in uproar. Amelie’s run off, Ros herself is… well, she’s devastated, but she’s raging to cover it up.”

“Where is she?”

“With Raiden. She said she’d come and see you later.”

“She helped me win.” said Marcus. “I won because of her.”

Tedros looked at him, baffled. 

“Mark,” he said. “You won because of  _ you.” _

Before Marcus could contest it, classmates were descending upon him, and his attention was required elsewhere. 

But consciously or not, he kept the affirmation, folded it up and shoved it somewhere safe. 

_ You won because of  _ **_you._ **

* * *

"Alvarez."

Jade's eyes snapped open, and she bolted upright to find Ros crouched, silhouetted in the open window, staring at her.

For a second, they just stared at each other. Jade suspected they were thinking the same thing;

_ You look terrible. _

Ros looked wan and pinched, not at all as put together as she usually liked to be. Her hair was loose and falling in her face, and her right hand was bound with something that looked suspiciously like the magic accelerant poultice they'd been warned about in Surviving Fairy Tales. Jade suspected that strike and the fire had taken all her effort. 

"Oh, I suppose you can't talk." realised Ros. "I was waiting for your usual infernal stream of chatter."

Jade looked up, intending to make some sort of sarcastic expression--

And horrified herself by bursting into tears.

She turned away hurriedly and put a hand over her mouth, desperately trying to stop herself making the ugly croaking sounds that passed for sobs at the moment. She couldn't wake up Chinhae, or any of the other Evers in here-- and she certainly couldn't cry in front of  _ Rosalind.  _ She couldn't embarrass herself in front of her! Alex was a different story, but Ros-- 

Ros was climbing onto her bed, nonchalant as you please.

Jade was so surprised she stopped sobbing for a second. She smelt odd, of something Jade couldn't quite place.

"That's more like it." said Ros, not unkindly. She produced a large metal pot from behind her back. "From my mother. More of what she gave you earlier. She got Sheeks to help her make some more of it whilst everyone else was running around flapping."

Oh. She’d just been sent by Agatha. Jade accepted it gratefully and sat for a second, not sure where to look--

“You hear about my great sin?” sneered Ros, casting a cold eye around the dark infirmary. “My lovely forest fire?”

Jade made a  _ sort of  _ motion.

“Mm. Let me guess, you heard all about the  _ cause of it.” _

Her voice became venomous at the end. Jade nodded sheepishly. 

“Guess I don’t need to recount it, then. Good.”

Ros stared at her, for a while. Jade stared back, confused. It made no sense why Ros would still be here. Surely she’d just drop off the medicine, then leave, reluctant to spend more time than necessary with someone she didn’t like--

"I'm sorry, Jade." said Ros, so quietly it was almost inaudible. 

_ Oh.  _ Jade must have looked comically surprised, because mirth touched Rosalind’s face, even if it became solemn again quickly. __

"I know Colette thought you were working for me. I let her think some Evers were working with me, on purpose. I wasn’t subtle. But I meant--"

She stopped, and her face darkened. Jade made a shaky, dismissive, gesture, feeling she ought to communicate something, but Ros shook her head.

"No, don’t dismiss me. I  _ am  _ sorry. And I should be. I've learned my lesson about assuming I know things. Like assuming I knew all about you, because I know all about your father. I was wrong, Jade, and I'm sorry I was so mean to you. Especially because Marcus told me that you thought I was cool." 

Jade started to cry again, struggling to stop herself--

"Don't bother." said Ros. "I think everyone's cried tonight.” she paused. "Alex told me she came to see you."

Jade swallowed, internally cursing herself for not making Alex promise not to tell.

"I didn't realise no one from your family came." said Ros.

_ Not this again.  _ Jade ignored her, wiping her nose with her hand bad-temperedly. 

"Perhaps you wouldn't have wanted them to, anyway.” mused Ros. “I know your sister…" She stopped, and frowned. "Well. I suppose your sister is rather like me, isn't she?"

Jade stopped.  _ Emmelina? _ Like  _ Ros?  _

Never in a million years would her sister have been tricked because she loved someone. Nor would she have let Adrian help her, gone to Adam to cry about it, or come here to apologise to someone-- well, anyone. Ever. Perhaps they were both Evil, but that was  _ all _ Emmelina was. Jade and Ros were Ever and Never. They understood the balance far better than Emma ever would.

She wrote  _ NO  _ on her paper and circled it emphatically, several times. Ros eyed it.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

_ WORSE. _

"She’s worse than me, hm?"

Jade nodded emphatically, then cringed as it jolted her neck. Ros scowled.

" _ Careful _ , Jade." 

There was a noise in the corridor, and she turned immediately.

"I ought to go. I've been here long enough." 

Jade realised, suddenly, what she smelt of-- the intermingling scent of citrus, patchouli and gunpowder (Raiden kept a flintlock under his bed) that always hit when she was around Honor 4. 

Well, if Ros wanted to go and cry to her brother, it was almost certain that Raiden would have been temporarily deaf and blind for the entire time she cried. It was a handy talent of his, and Jade prayed Ros would exercise the same philosophy here.

And as if she'd read her mind, Ros turned back to her.

"I think it's best if no one hears about this." she said briskly.

Jade snorted. It was as if they were having an affair or something, rather than having a weird bonding moment at three in the morning after a traumatising school trial. She nodded.

"Well, then." said Ros. "Do me a favour?"

Jade blinked expectantly. 

"Don't mention this to your roommate, Jade." said Ros, suddenly cold.

Jade bit her tongue. She'd almost completely forgotten that she'd need to face Amelie, soon. Whose side was she supposed to take--?

She looked back at Ros and caught a flicker of absolute misery on her face. She'd never seen anything like that on Ros before. 

How could she take Amelie's side?

A sudden, wild impulse seized Jade, and just as Ros started to leave, Jade sat up and flung her arms around her. Ros made a small, surprised noise...

And although she pried her arms away after a few seconds, Jade knew full well that she’d meant her apology.

Because she’d called her  _ Jade.  _

She’d finally gotten her goddamn name right. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THESE BITCHES GAY! GOOD FOR THEM  
> seohun is so gd funny to write he's like if gmtg ted and sophie had a baby and the baby was on crack cocaine. someone remind me that even if it's brief he and sophie are going to interact next chapter and it's going to be like that dora meme that's like "fuck I cannot STAND this puta-- hey babygirl!" also I am aware that there's now like four potential rosalind ships up in the air now LMAO that sounds like a you guys problem bc I know what's happening :) sort of. anyway. hope you enjoyed! first fic update of 2021!


	18. in which everyone could be the star of a lana del rey song and nobody likes it

Three days later, classes resumed, and Raiden and Sam went to Surviving Fairy Tales together after a free period, much earlier than was strictly necessary.

“This is stupid, Sam.”

“You’re stupid.”

_ “You’re  _ injured and shouldn’t even be going to class.” 

“I’m  _ fine,” _ snapped Sam, taking her hand off his chair briefly to rub her leg. Raiden could feel her arms shaking. 

“You’re not. You got burnt on the leg in two places, and just generally beaten up.”

“ _ So?  _ I’ve been to the infirmary, got it sorted. It’s nothing.  _ Jade _ got strangled.”

“I don’t think this is a competition, Sammy.” Sam ignored him, and Raiden sobered slightly. “Poor Jade,” he murmured. “No one came to watch her, you know?”

“I know,” said Sam. “But maybe it’s better like that. Knowing who the options were.”

A pause. Their progress was getting steadily slower. “Sammy, stop it.” said Raiden, jumping back to the previous argument. “You’re gonna kill yourself trying to push me. I can push myself.”

Sam opened her mouth, and Raiden turned around and plucked her hands from his chair.

“We’re sitting down for five minutes,” he said. “We’re early. Look, nice tree. Let's sit.” 

Sam muttered something uncomplimentary, but she tottered across to sit at the base of one of the trees anyway, near the lake they’d done the Animal Communication lesson at. Raiden followed her, eyeing the clear water.

“Maybe we should stop this stupid charade.” he murmured, thinking of Marcus and Jackson in the Blue Brook. 

“No clue what you’re on about, I hate you with everything I have,” Sam said lightly, scratching under her bandage. Raiden shot her a look and she stopped. “Akiyama, after the absolute shitshow we just saw between Amelie and Ros--”

“I know,” muttered Raiden. He grimaced. “Who’d have thought it? Amelie double-crossing her like that.”

“Apparently no one,” said Sam grimly. “Not even Ros."

Raiden grunted in assent, picking at the embroidery on his waistcoat absently. He’d not seen Rosalind since she’d left their dorm after the Trial, and he suspected that was how she wanted it. He’d also not seem Amelie, but  _ that  _ was more his personal choice…

“How could she have done something so callous?” he snapped. “Humiliating her in front of everyone like that? Doesn’t seem very Good to me.”

“Technically, it’s plenty Good,” Sam pointed out. “Defeating the biggest Never threat by tricking her into loving her and taking her down a few pegs. Surely some smarmy gits up there are all over her?” She jabbed her thumb up at the glass castle. Raiden pulled a face. 

“Oh, sure. Half the class, Colette especially. Fournier has hardly shut up about her  _ big triumph  _ since it happened.” 

“Does she seem happy about it?”

“Don’t know, me and Marcus have been ignoring her.”

Sam snorted, plucking a reed and stirring the water about with it. Wish Fish scattered from where she disturbed the surface. “You do a lesson with these dumb things?” she asked, flicking water across the lake.

“Of course.”

“What did Amelie wish for?”

Raiden looked at her, trying to remember--

“Foggy mind.” he said. “She was in the second group, the day after Jade blew them up. I remember because we were all expecting something noble, like making her parents proud or something, and it was just… nothing.”

“...hmm.” said Sam. 

“What’s the  _ hmm  _ for?”

“Think she did it on purpose?”

“...what, deliberately confused herself so that her  _ real  _ intentions wouldn’t show up?” Raiden frowned, looking out over the lake. “...huh, maybe.”

He nursed that for a moment. What would she have wanted to cover up? The fact her feelings for Rosalind were fabricated? The fact that she was far more ambitious than she let on...?

He noticed Sam looking at him, leaning back on her hands, and turned. “What?”

“What was your wish?” said Sam.

“They  _ rejected _ my wish.” Raiden informed her solemnly. “They think I’m too good for you.”

“Bah, don’t make me laugh. That’s not the real reason.” 

“Fine,” said Raiden haughtily. “What’s the real reason the fish disapproved of my wish, oh sweet Sammy?”

“They don’t like me, ‘coz I keep making jokes about frying and eating them. I said I was gonna try it at the autumn festival.”

Raiden turned to stare at her. “ _ What?” _

Sam smiled. “Wish Fish and Chips.”

Raiden looked at her for a second. “You know, maybe they were onto something, because you’re actually the  _ worst--” _

“Ooh, but you love me  _ really,”  _ grinned Sam, kneeling up and grabbing his waistcoat. 

“I certainly do _not,”_ said Raiden primly, deliberately getting in her face. “I’m trying to seduce you so I can murder you and take over your piracy empire.”

“Good luck with that, git.” Sam pushed his hair back and kissed him, and Raiden kissed her back, pulling her against his chest--

Footsteps and voices made them jump apart, and Raiden turned to see a gaggle of shadows approaching from the walkway. 

“Shit,” Raiden hissed. “Teachers. _Now_ you can push my chair, darling, quick--”

With some swearing and quiet arguing, they managed to wedge themselves behind a manicured hedge as the group of staff came marching down the lawn. They appeared to be arguing. 

“A fungal infection,” Fournier was saying doubtfully. “Picked up in the Trial.”

“Saw her myself,” confirmed Sophie, stalking out in front of her. “Horrible rashing. Of course, I didn’t exactly  _ speak  _ to her, I’m not willing to subject myself to catching something so  _ unseemly,  _ but I saw it with my own eyes, and Professor Sheeks confirmed it well enough, didn’t you Sheeba?”

Sheeba Sheeks nodded vehemently. “It’s of the  _ mendax  _ variety, Professor Fournier. Very contagious. Best to quarantine the girl. Illnesses spread like wildfire in this school, like the plague a few decades ago, where the students all developed  _ terrible  _ flatulence--”

Fournier cut her off, grimacing. “And her roommate?”

“Samiya has already had it, she’s immune.” breezed Sophie. “Apparently she got it by drinking swamp water on a dare and accidentally swallowing frogspawn--”

Raiden looked at Sam. “Ros is  _ ill?” _

“Like hell she is.” Sam snorted. 

“What?”

“Shh! Listen and you’ll find out--”

“Thank you, Dean Sophie, I get the picture.” Hephzibah was saying, looking rather green. “Well, do what you will, but I trust Rosalind will be returned to classes promptly upon recovery.”

“What sort of an educator do you take me for?” scoffed Sophie, as Professor Fournier began to retreat. “It goes without saying, darling. Alright. Bub-bye now… yes, bye… bye…”

Sophie and the other teachers--Sheeks, Castor and Uma--waited until Fournier was gone, and then Sophie whipped back to the other three, aggressively straightening her collar. “Ooh, I can’t _stand_ that woman--” 

“This is a bad plan,” sniffed Sheeks. “It will get busted, and Emma will believe whatever that horrible harpy says, and then we will  _ all _ be in the dog house.”

“Even if Hephzibah sends one of her smarming scouts to check her out, we’re safe,” dismissed Sophie. “They  _ will  _ see symptoms, regardless of if they’re genuine or not.”

“Provided the girl conjures consistent ones,” Sheeks said doubtfully. 

“Surely as her Special Talents teacher, you know if she can or not?”

“Oh yes, she is very clever, but I am still doubtful…” 

“This has  _ Agatha _ written all over it,” murmured Uma. “It smacks of one of her schemes.”

“Of course it does, it  _ is _ one!” snapped Castor. “She planted the idea. I heard her.  _ Maybe you should come down with something, Rosalind.  _ Meddling brat. The kids will know she’s only faking, though. Her brother, and that lot.”

“Yes, but they won’t blab,” said Sophie, starting to move away. “If anything, they’ll help her.”

“Why would they?”

“Because they’re just as angry as she is, Sheeba.”

“And why are  _ you  _ helping her?” asked Uma. “Massive breach of school rules, isn’t it?”

Sophie didn’t respond; she just shot her a very long, very pointed look, and then they were too far away to hear.

Raiden turned incredulously to Sam. 

“The staff know about Rosalind’s talent?”

_ “Some  _ of the staff,” corrected Sam. “All of the Evil staff and maybe a few of the Good. Nevers recognise magic talents better than Evers, see, so it didn’t take long for the Evil teachers to realise how Ros did her little fire party trick. But her old man cornered them all individually the day before he left and twisted their arms ‘til they agreed to keep quiet, but I reckon they probably would have done anyway. The potential in keeping something like that secret from the other side of the bay…” she shrugged. “They’re all angry about Ros being beaten like that, and Fournier being smug about it just making them even more annoyed. No wonder they’re willing to bend the rules to let her sulk for a while, while everyone regroups.”

“So she’s furious?”

“Oh, yeah,” said Sam. “She’s raging.”   
  


* * *

“Jade?”

Jade looked up from her extremely late History homework to find Kelly standing at the end of her bed, chin trembling and hands clasped in front of her. Jade stared warily at her, wondering what she wanted. She’d left the infirmary ages ago, and she’d not looked at her the whole time. Jade had thought it was guilt over teaming up with Colette and chasing her down in the Trial, but--

_ “I’m sorry!” _ Kelly wailed, and burst into streaming tears. 

Oh. So it was. Great. Jade sighed, expecting some half-baked apology, and sat grudgingly forwards to hear whatever this was going to be.

“I’m really so-sorry, Jade, I should have tried to stop them, I shou-shou--should have tried harder, but they’re so scary and they said they could get me e-expelled if I-I- di-di-didn’t help them and-- and--” 

She sobbed even harder, if that was possible. Jade reached for a clean handkerchief and some paper.

_ YOU _ DIDN'T TRY TO KILL ME, she scribbled hastily. 

Kelly blew her nose loudly and tugged on her plaits. Her round face was mournful--right now, she looked even younger than twelve. In a year group ranging in age from her twelve to Jade coming up on seventeen, she had to be the youngest Ever in their year, and to her credit, she was doing incredibly well. After all, she had been in the Trial. Jade was struggling to find even the slightest twinge of resentment towards this kid. After all, she knew all too well what it was like to be pushed around by bigger people.

Kelly hiccuped, finally managing to read her note through streaming eyes. “I kno-ow, but I helped them. I tri-tri-ed to warn you, I said--said..."

_ OUR _ FRIEND. Jade remembered. YOU KNEW ABOUT AMELIE? DO YOU KNOW WHY SHE WAS HELPING THEM?

"I--I knew about Amelie, but...n-no. They don’t tell me anything about  _ why. _ I just get told to do things, or they’re mean to me--trip me in Weapons and steal my jewellery and tell people I brought a stuffed bear with me--”   


SO YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT COLETTE MEANT BY ANY OF IT?

“No,” Kelly sniffed. “She might just have been trying to scare you. But  _ you _ don’t get scared.”

Jade smiled wryly. 

“But I knew Amelie was working with them…” Kelly continued. “I tried to tell you about her, and about Chinhae, but you dropped my flag."

YEAH, SORRY-- Jade started to write, then paused as her words registered. ABOUT CHINHAE? WHAT ABOUT HIM?

“Oh, he’d been following us for  _ ages _ .” Kelly said. She suddenly seemed more enthusiastic. “We saw him near the caves and Leif’s scared of him, so we left, but he followed us. The others didn’t notice him because he’s so quiet, and I was scared, so I was glad he was near. I don’t know  _ why _ he was following us, but when we went after you, he burst out of the treeline on the other side of the river, so I was going to tell you he was near. I’m not sure how he got across the Brook. But I saw the fight on the Spellcast when I came out, and he was  _ so  _ cool. He threw Colette about three feet, you know, he looked like, _ crazy. _ Colette stabbed him from behind and he barely even flinched. They ran from him really quickly, barely tried to fight at all after that... And then he was so gallant to you, too…he’s  _ such  _ a good Prince, isn’t he? And he’s so  _ handsome _ , do you think he's handsome?”

KELLY, YOU ARE 12 YEARS OLD AND HE IS 16. Jade showed her sternly. Kelly giggled.

"No, not for me! Not for me! But do  _ you _ ?"

Jade got the impression Kelly was forming a rather Prince Charming impression of Chinhae (which wasn’t inaccurate, to be honest), but she felt as if she'd been put in the swooning damsel role, and she did not appreciate it.

_ EVERYONE _ THINKS HE'S HANDSOME. I'M NOT BLIND.

"So you do?"

Jade shrugged awkwardly, but Kelly was off again;

"All of my corridor wants him to ask them to the Ball, they all have posters of him and all sorts, but I don’t think it will happen, especially after the whole… love potion thing, because they've made him uncomfortable. He was quite upset, wasn't he? I told him I was very sorry for not stopping Colette afterwards and he said it was okay, though, and then he helped me with my History homework, so I don't think he's really mad at anyone except Colette. And he's definitely even more mad at her now."

Jade stared at her, bemused. Kelly blabbered ever onwards;

"They're always planning things, which I think is very silly of them, because they never actually try them once they see him, because I think they're all a little scared of him. I don't know why. He's very nice, he just has a very still face. Anyway, I think they're wasting their time,  _ I _ think he likes-- why do you want to know who I room with?”

Jade looked at her expectantly.

“I room with Colette,” Kelly said in a small voice. 

The ideal thing would be for this child to go  _ home _ , Jade thought, but if she couldn’t have that...

WE HAVE A SPARE BED IN OUR ROOM, Jade scrawled. IF YOU’RE OKAY WITH AMELIE BEING IN THERE--

The  _ E  _ veered off into a scrawl as Kelly yelped in excitement and flung her skinny arms around Jade's neck-- then leapt back guiltily when Jade winced.

"Sorry! Sorry!"

Jade waved a hand to tell her to forget it. YOU CAN GO IN THERE TONIGHT, IF YOU WANT, BUT I WON'T BE BACK UNTIL TOMORROW.

"Thank you, Jade!" Kelly cried, already galloping out-- then squealed in surprise. “Ooooh,  _ sorry _ , Chinhae, you move so quietly!”

Jade grimaced. Chinhae was back already? She hoped he hadn’t heard Kelly gushing about him….

A few seconds later, Chinhae slipped in and closed the door quietly behind him. He gave her a small nod, but he looked pale and rather pained, and Jade was rather alarmed when he moved to the sink beside his bed and gripped it on either side. He wasn’t gonna be sick, was he? Jade had overheard that he passed out in the bath yesterday and Jackson had to stop him from drowning (then had almost drowned him again with crying.)

He took a deep breath, then glanced over at her. “Sorry. Nauseous. I think I’m alright now.”

Jade tapped her forehead in the same spot as his stitches questioningly, then pointed at him. She’d discovered he was quite good at guessing her meaning without her writing it down. He shook his head.

“No. It’s the food here, actually. It’s so… dramatic. I don’t really like any of it, truth be told.”

Jade nodded--squab cassoulet tested her digestive system too-- then frowned. BUT YOU ALWAYS EAT ANYWAY?

He shrugged, sitting gingerly on the edge of his bed and unbuckling his boots.

“I promised my dad,” he admitted. “He worries. A lot. About Mum, about me... about everything. The least I can do is give him one less thing to worry about.” He indicated a letter on his bedside table, two sides of chaotic scrawl loaded with question marks that had arrived that morning. 

After a moment, unprompted, he continued: “He would have come to the Trial, but Mum’s not very well. Again. And he doesn’t like to leave her when she’s ill.” He said it completely neutrally, like it wasn’t unusual, or worth dwelling on, but Jade thought there was a slight fragility in his expression. His hand had drifted to his collar, running his thumb over the gold pendant Jade had noticed he always wore. She was oddly glad she doesn’t have an obligation to say something in return, since it would inevitably make things worse. 

And yet...

After a moment, Jade tossed a note onto his feet. He stooped and opened it. DID YOU KNOW THIRD FLOOR PURITY HAVE POSTERS OF YOU IN THEIR DORMS?

“Er… yes I did, actually. It doesn’t matter. They’re all about twelve, they’re not doing any harm.” He sounded rather resigned. “Did Kelly tell you that?”

Jade nodded. Chinhae tipped his head thoughtfully. 

“She snuck in to see you, then? I thought she might. She’s got a good heart. Seemed happy on her way out; what did you tell her?”

SAID SHE COULD ROOM WITH US TO GET AWAY FROM COLETTE.

"I see. That was good of you.” He hesitated a moment. "...with Amelie?”

Jade spread her hands helplessly. Chinhae nodded, seeming to understand her conflict. 

“Raiden and Marcus are both  _ furious _ with her. For obvious reasons, but..." he trailed off.

Jade frowned, confused. ROS IS YOUR BEST FRIEND.

“Yes.”

YOU’RE NOT ANGRY AT AMELIE?

“...not as much.”

WHY?

Chinhae sighed, and leaned back on the headboard of the bed. “Raiden and Marcus are cynics at heart. They think Amelie betrayed Ros for the obvious reasons. Ever/Never rivalry, to win, to stay top of the leaderboard… but I find it too hard to believe. This is  _ Amelie,  _ who can’t even eat rabbit. Her heart was what kept her high on the leaderboard, not any plan or calculation, and I don’t think for a second she ever would have betrayed Ros if she thought she had any other choice. I think there’s something bigger going on here that we’re missing. This year was already odd, with the Society interference, but I think it’s more than a few silly rule changes and old biases. I…well, this will sound arrogant, but how Colette’s mother spoke to me…nobody with any sense starts a fight with my mother. What’s given her and her daughter such a big head-- what? Are you alright? Should I--”

Because Jade had made a frantic squeaking noise and was waving her free hand at him as she scrawled;

TRAITOR TO GOOD, SHE CALLED ME. SAID I COULD HAVE BEEN ON THEIR SIDE...WHY?

“...I don’t know.” Chinhae said. He sounded exhausted. “I really don’t know. The person we really need to talk to is  _ Amelie.  _ But Marcus and Raiden won’t hear of it. I’ve tried but they won’t budge an inch. _ ” _

Jade took her time writing the next bit. SHE’S MY FIRST FRIEND.

Chinhae was silent for a moment. “Yes,” he said. “I thought so.”

I CAN’T CUT HER OFF.

“I know. You don’t have to.” He looked up at her, and his eyes had taken on that uncomfortable searching quality, the one that suggested he knew much more than she thought. Uncomfortable, Jade looked away--

“It’s funny, actually. Ros was  _ my _ first real friend.” Chinhae said suddenly.

Jade stared at him. Chinhae blinked back, looking somewhat stunned, as if he’d only just realised it--

He shook himself. “Well, either way, we can’t even ask Amelie because she’s hiding--”

“Funny that. So is Ros.”

Jade and Chinhae turned to see Marcus, Jackson and Raiden coming up the ward towards them.

Chinhae stared at them. “What do you mean? Where’s Ros?”

* * *

“A fake illness,” mused Chinhae. “So she’s embarrassed?”

“Yes, but it’s being masked by fury.” said Marcus simply. “No, you can’t do that, only bishops move diagonally.”

Jackson squinted at the chess board. “Which ones are the bishops, again?”

“...the ones with the bobble hats,” said Marcus.

“Then what  _ can _ the ponies do?”

“The  _ ponies _ can go in L shapes,” grinned Raiden. 

Jade thought Marcus might have cried in frustration with literally anyone else, but Jackson seemed very committed to getting this right. 

“What if I move that there?” he demanded.

“I can take it with my pawn.”

“I thought prawns were shit?”

“They can still take things, Jackson.” said Marcus, surprisingly calmly.

“Oh! Well, then, I won’t do that.”

“Marcus, have you  _ seen  _ Ros since the day of the Trial?” interrupted Chinhae.

“No,” said Marcus, eyes still fixed on the chessboard. “Like I said, she’s faking an illness. But I think she’d say if she wanted to see me, and she hasn’t, so...” he shrugged. Chinhae frowned.

“Aren’t you worried about her?” 

“Moderately, but…” Marcus fixed Chinhae with a severe look over the top of his glasses. “I think I would be more concerned about when she returns to lessons. Specifically, when she returns to Surviving Fairy Tales.”

Chinhae cringed, thinking of their forest group.

“No chance of her just ignoring Amelie?” asked Jackson weakly.

“None.” said Marcus firmly. 

“Maybe I should try and talk to her,” Chinhae offered. 

“How? Students can’t cross between schools.” said Marcus.

It probably wasn’t audible to anyone else, but Chinhae heard it; the click of Raiden’s throat as he swallowed. Pointedly, he turned to him--

Jade smacked him with her notepad, and he looked over to read it, diverted.  _ ROS GOT INTO OUR DORM, ONCE.  _

“Ros?” asked Chinhae. “How?”

Raiden coughed. “Er.” he said. “I may… have an inkling. If you’re serious about this, and you think it’s beneficial to go and talk to her, and--”

“You snuck into  _ Evil?”  _ said Marcus incredulously, suddenly jerked out of his chess game.

“Of course I didn’t, don’t be ridiculous,” snapped Raiden. 

“Then how do you know--”

Jackson looked up from the board. “Sneaking in? Sam’s been sneaking in here for like, months,” he said, confused. “She stops by our dorm and has a chat, sometimes. I thought all of you knew that. You’re Raiden’s roommates.”

He might as well have punched Raiden, given the latter’s dumbstruck expression.

“Why would us being Raiden’s roommates mean--” began Marcus, and Chinhae prepared for a very loud argument--

“There’s a painting of Yara near the ground floor Valor common room, around the back,” Raiden said quickly and quietly, cutting Marcus off. “If you move it and put your fingerglow on the brick that’s got a flower on it, a passageway opens. It takes you under the back of the school. The water is shallow enough to walk through, it only goes up to your ankles. Maybe Jade’s calves.” 

Jade scowled, but Raiden was still going; “It’s not guarded, because they don’t think anyone knows about it. There's access to Evil through the kitchens. The tunnels were added after the One True King debacle, as a way to get students out in case of emergency." 

“...how on  _ earth  _ do you know that?” demanded Marcus. 

“I was expecting you to know,” admitted Raiden. "Only teachers are  _ supposed _ to know, but the graduating class at the time they were built knew, so Tedros told Alex, and Alex told Ros, who…told me." 

It was a blatant lie, but Chinhae didn’t think he wanted to pursue the contradictory nature of Sam and Raiden’s relationship right at this moment, in front of everyone. “Alright, well, I’ll go over tomorrow, in our study periods.” he said firmly. 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” said Jackson doubtfully. “She seems really mad.”

“It’ll be fine,” said Chinnhae, sounding much more confident than he felt. “She’s my friend.”

* * *

Chinhae got as far as the Evil dining hall before he was apprehended.

"What're you doing here, son?” two of the wolf guards approached, the lead one frowning at him. "No fraternisation allowed this year, you know that. Back to your side."

Panicking, Chinhae stuck his hands in his pockets at an attempt an nonchalance,  and hit paper-- Jade’s notepad paper. She’d been passing him notes in Beautification, mostly complaints. 

"I'm here to deliver a letter," he said hastily, producing the piece of paper. "From… um, from Professor Fournier to Dean Sophie." he said. 

The wolf thrust out a paw. “Gimme the message, I'll take it."

"Oh, no, Professor Fournier wanted it delivered personally to ensure it got there. It's a bit... private, you see."

The two guards looked at each other, and the smaller one leaned in. "Is this about beauty treatments again?" he hissed. "She's been trying to get Sophie to spill for months, now. Sophie sends her fakes every time…"

Chinhae blinked, surprised. Well, take what you could get… 

"Oh, I couldn't possibly say," he said nonchalantly, which they would hopefully take to mean whatever they wanted to hear--

The two guards grinned and guffawed at each other, then turned back to him. "We'll take you up," the blonde one said cheerfully.

Chinhae grimaced internally as they led him up the stairs. He'd hoped they'd just let him through, not lead him to the biggest authority in Evil--

One of the guards knocked on a classroom door.

"Enter!" said a crisp voice. The smaller guard pushed the door open, to reveal Sophie sat with her feet up on the ice desk, reading a magazine and airing freshly painted nails. 

"An Ever’s been sent with a message for you, Dean Sophie," the guard said. Sophie didn’t reply, but Chinhae was ushered inside regardless, and the door snapped closed behind him. Sophie slammed her magazine shut and looked up impatiently. 

"Well, at least she sent a good-looking one." she grumbled, eyeing Chinhae with approval. "This year's Nevers are  _ particularly _ hard on the eyes, I must say, apart from dear Rosalind, but she's a rare sight this week…"

Chinhae waited in silence, mind whirring with ideas. So Raiden was right, the teachers were in on Rosalind's disappearance...

"You're the one she likes," Sophie mused. "Seohun's charge, isn't it? Empress Eunha's son?"

Chinhae almost laughed at the implication Seohun was responsible for (and good at) looking after him. "Yes, Dean Sophie."

“Mm, yes, I saw… _ dear _ Seohun at the Trial,  _ so  _ nice to see him again, he’s doing so well…”

Chinhae suspected she was remembering the same encounter between the two he had witnessed; it had borne the same feeling of inevitable and destructive doom as two icebergs colliding, as former student and Dean had kissed each other’s cheeks, glowered over the other’s shoulder, and spent five minutes trying to subtly insult each other. They had parted in ill-concealed acrimony. 

"Why did Fournier send you, then?" Sophie said impatiently, after a few seconds of brooding. "Out with it, I'm a busy woman."

"She didn't send me,” Chinhae admitted. Pretending otherwise was sure to cause even more trouble for him later on. "I'm here on my own account."

Sophie's eyebrows lifted. "Which is...?" 

"...what do you know about the Everwood Society?" Chinhae said, improvising for his life--

But he appeared to have struck upon something. Sophie's green eyes seared into him, and suddenly, her whole manner changed--her frame tensed, and her voice was eager as she leant across the table towards him.

"What makes you ask that?"

"...oh, well--" Chinhae fumbled for a reason. "I was, um, just wondering if you knew their reasoning for their extended influence over Good this year, because I don’t find that I actually understand it that well, and I do worry that something’s off--”

"I think you're overthinking it, darling," Sophie said loudly, but her eyes were wide with another meaning as her red-taloned hand extended and pointed to something above the door. 

Chinhae turned.

A silver rose, embedded in ice above the door frame. A single silver rose was the symbol of the Everwood Society; Chinhae had noticed a paperweight one on Anemone's desk, and another, in the form of a decorative clasp, in Hepzibah Fournier's hair. He'd seen it somewhere else, as well, but he couldn’t for the life of him think where--

"The Society are here to help dear Emma lead the School, doddery as she is nowadays--" Sophie was scribbling urgently in hot pink ink on a piece of black stationary, and thrust it out to him-- "No need for concern, though I know it was a very sudden change..." 

_ I'M UNDER SURVEILLANCE. THEY CAN HEAR ME. THEY CLAIM IT'S STANDARD SECURITY TO ENSURE MY SAFETY, BUT I DON’T NEED IT, OF COURSE I DON’T. YOUR SUSPICIONS ARE LEGITIMATE, BUT I'M NO CLOSER TO FIGURING OUT THEIR PLAN. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU SAY. _

Chinhae looked up at her, stunned. "Perhaps you're right," he said. "I was quite shaken by the Trial, especially after what happened to Rosalind, but I understand the importance of their interference. Thank you for your reassurance, Dean Sophie."

"You're welcome, Chinhae." (So she  _ did  _ know his name.) "Although next time, find your  _ own _ Dean to answer such questions." Her face made it clear that she really meant the opposite. Anemone was firmly in the Society's grasp and they both knew it.

"Of course," Chinhae said, "Thank you." 

He left the classroom and headed straight for the Malice staircase, lost in thought. Why were the Society listening in on people? Yes, Sophie was a Never, but she was Dean, and a fairy tale hero, and the sister of the Queen of Camelot. And Anemone, surely, wasn’t going to cause them any problems. And why were they watching the head of their own Society? He didn’t understand anything. 

He brushed it off, for now. He had about twenty minutes to find Ros, talk to her, and get back to his room before anybody noticed he was missing. And he couldn’t be seen; there was no way he could pass for a Never, even without the uniform. Everyone knew his face, unfortunately. 

_ Malice 12, 13, 14-- _

Voices around the corner,  _ adult  _ voices, and one of them was definitely Fournier's--  _ what was she doing here?-- _

He flung the door to Malice 15 open, slammed it behind him, and locked it--

Someone coughed behind him.

"You'd better not refuse to talk to me after everything I did to get here," he threatened, turning to face Ros. 

"Nice bruise, handsome." was her greeting. "Who did your stitches? An ogre?"

She was sitting in a black velvet armchair in the corner of the room, glaring at him over the top of a book. Her hair was lank and unbrushed, her face pale, her eyes lacking their usual amused glitter. Chinhae's heart sank just looking at her.

"What?" she snapped.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Chinhae said. "You've... disappeared."

"Clearly I should have done a better job, if you can still find me." She tossed the book across the flagstones, and it skidded to a halt at Chinhae's feet. "I still don't understand why you like that garbage."

"Is that my copy?" Chinhae said indignantly, scrambling to pick up volume six of  _ The Long Road Out of the Woods. _ "Ros!" 

"I knew you'd have brought at least  _ some _ of them, and I've read all my stuff," she dismissed. "Wish I hadn't bothered, now. Got bitten by a fairy for romantic drivel." 

"Reading books, not going to class… how are you still number one?" Chinhae said grumpily, smoothing the crumpled pages. 

Ros stood and paced to the window. "They're sending me the work. I told the staff I picked up a highly contagious fungal disease in the Trial and I'm currently indisposed. Everyone is staying very far away, except Sam, who claimed she had it as a kid and can't get it again.”

“I know. Sam told Raiden, and Raiden told me.”

Ros acted as if she’d not heard him. Chinhae snorted.

"How are you eating?" 

"Sam's smuggling food. I think she stole Raiden's lunch."

"Want chocolate?" Chinhae offered, digging in his inside pocket--

Ros snatched it out of his hand and tore the wrapping off. Chinhae raised his eyebrows at her, and Ros leered back. "Temptation is the path to Evil." 

Chinhae sat down on her empty bed, and watched her inhale the entire thing with only some regret.

"What've I missed?" Ros asked after a moment, swallowing. 

"Not much." Chinhae admitted. "Classes as normal. We only got out of the infirmary today."

"We?"

"Jade and I. Some others."

"Ah. How's she?"

"Alright. She can't talk much. But I think whatever your mother brought her made it a lot better than it would have been," he looked meaningfully at her. “And what you told her.”

Ros crumpled the empty wrapper between her long fingers. "You were awake then?"

"You knew I would be." Chinhae said.

"Yes."

Silence.

"Why don't you just go back to class?" he said persistently. "You have to at some point."

Ros was silent.

"She's not back yet." Chinhae said softly. "She's ‘ill’, too. I suspect for a few more days. If you come back before she does, you'll have time to choose your approach--”

" _ What  _ approach?" Ros spat suddenly. "There isn't any possible approach! She's ruined  _ everything!  _ I look like a  _ fool!  _ My credibility, my image--"

"That's not  _ really _ what you care about." Chinhae told her, then regretted it as Rosalind’s expression turned ugly. 

"Stop thinking you can read my mind!" Ros hissed. "We are nothing alike, Chinhae! We're dead opposites! Every day, stuff like  _ that _ ," --she jabbed her finger at the book-- "Proves it! And now this  _ School _ has proven I'm not supposed to have anything to do with people like you!"

"People like  _ me?  _ What, because I'm an Ever and so is she? Don't be ridiculous," Chinhae said, hurt, "You know me better than anyone else in the world."

Ros did not reply.

"Someone up there must be laughing at us right now," Chinhae said flatly. "The witch who loves a Princess, and the Prince who's never loved anyone."

Ros flinched. Chinhae gazed at her. "Accept it, Ros. You loved her, and she betrayed you."

"Shut up, Chinhae." Ros said softly, face struggling. Chinhae knew the warning signs, but he didn’t budge. 

"That's not shameful for  _ you _ , Ros. It's shameful for  _ her _ . Marcus and Raiden won't speak to her, she's avoiding us all--"

"But I bet  _ Jade  _ will be her best friend the second she can force chatter back up her throat." Ros sneered, making a weak attempt at snatching the veil back, but it was misplaced. Chinhae glared at her.

"Don't you  _ dare _ . You know full well Amelie's the first friend Jade's ever had, imagine if it had been  _ me _ who'd duped someone like she did, but not been able to explain myself, and been so torn up about it I'd cried myself sick? Would you be able to cut me off completely?"

"That's not the same." said Ros stoutly.

"It isn't? Then who was your friend before I was?" 

"I have siblings, which is more than  _ you _ can say, stood under that tree--"

Chinhae felt for a moment as if she’d slapped him. "What, I'm a charity case of a friend?" he spat. "Poor little Prince, whose mother has to hire fashion designers and Princesses to be his friends because nobody likes him enough to do it without monetary encouragement?"

"Nobody paid me," Ros snapped, “I don’t need it, for a start--”

This particular bit of arrogance infuriated Chinhae more. "But you wanted someone to dump your suitors on, who wouldn't protest." he accused, hearing the crack in his own voice. “Deny it, Ros. I  _ know  _ you first approached me to palm off some suitor or other. It’s exactly the kind of thing you do.” 

Ros stared at him.

She didn’t deny it.

Chinhae stood furiously.

"I'm done.” he snapped. “That's it! You can sulk in here for the next four years for all I care, or you could be brave and come back better than before! I was going to tell you that I think there's something bigger going on, that maybe Amelie isn't as completely culpable as we think, but if you're so determined that she's the Grandmaster and we're all conspiring against you,  _ have it your way!" _

He was at the door by the time she regained her voice. 

"The Princes all like Amelie.” hissed Ros. “Suppose that includes you, doesn’t it? Two blinks of those big brown eyes and suddenly  _ I’m _ in the wrong, and she’s done nothing, just defeated the big bad witch--”

“Don’t be  _ ridiculous _ !”

“At least I can see her for what she is!”

“And what is she?”

“A liar and a cheat.”

“Well, now you’re just reading from the Never playbook.”

“Don’t act  _ surprised, _ your imperial highness. As you correctly ascertained, I can be perfectly nasty if the mood takes me. At least  _ I  _ can admit that.”

"But  _ I  _ can swallow my pride and admit when I'm  _ wrong!" _ Chinhae shouted, and slammed the door behind him.

* * *

It took him longer than he’d expected to get back, at least half an hour, and longer to tip all the water out of his boots in the bathrooms. As a result, Chinhae skipped dinner, returning to his room as fast as he could, desperately wanting to sleep and forget this horrible day. He should have listened to Marcus, he knew his sister best, he knew she was going to blow up like that-- 

There was something waiting for him on his bed. 

It was his book, volume six of the  _ Long Road Out of the Woods.  _ The one Ros had been reading. 

Surely passed on by a conspiring roommate or two. 

Cursing Sam and Raiden, Chinhae went to throw it onto the bedside table, but something caught his attention; a piece of paper stuck in the top, like a bookmark.

Unable to help himself, he opened the book.

There were parts newly annotated, in a different pen to the one he had enthusiastically used on it last year. The hand was steadier and stronger, and the ink was darker.

_ “We’re not alike, Sire.” said the pale squire with his hat in his hands. _

_ “No, we are not.” Agreed the Knight with his dented armour  _ _ and his fear stuffed somewhere dark in the depths of his chest, where he could not observe it _ _. “How do you perceive our differences?” _

_ “There are too many to count,” said the squire, “You are braver than me, and stronger, and better to the world in which we live. I am a coward who fears that which he lives amongst. But I know above all,  _ _ you follow your heart to a place you cannot see _ _. All I have to follow is your footprints in the mud and  _ _ my faith that you are a better man than I, and will lead me to a better future _ _.” _

_ Then the Knight said; “Perhaps we are more similar than we believe.”  _

_ “How?” cried the amazed Squire. “How could we be similar?” _

_ “We cannot see that which we walk towards tomorrow, but we have faith that it will be better than where we leave today.  _ _ If it does not appear to be true, we swallow our pride and try again tomorrow. _ _ ” _

_ “ _ _ Does that make us brave, Sire?” _

_ “I believe it does.” _ __

Chinhae stared at it, at a loss--

And something else slid out of the back cover and hit the floor. 

A collection of newspaper clippings, some years old, some much newer. They weren’t his, but as he gathered them up, Chinhae realised with a start that he recognised the people in them.

The first was a press sketch of him and Ros sat at a dinner table, frowning down the row with comically identical expressions. Another was an official release from Avalon Towers; Chinhae and Marcus on the patio, bent over some book or essay or other, while Ros dozed in an armchair, completely uninterested. Another was the two of them sitting on the staircase at the tail end of a party, Chinhae holding Rosalind’s gloves and Rosalind eating pavlova with her hands. Neither had noticed the reporters until it was too late, he remembered wryly. 

The final two were new. One was the picture his father had eagerly commissioned after their acceptance to the School, just hours after the letters arrived. The three of them standing together in the sitting room. 

The final item was a newspaper clipping, written in Avonlea. It was about him, from the press they had been bombarded with upon their arrival home from Camelot;

_ When asked to comment upon Princess Rosalind's acceptance to Evil, our Prince initially declined, but upon speculation as to whether he would be cutting off contact with the Princess and rumours of assassination, he issued a statement: _

_ "I see no reason to end my friendship with Princess Rosalind. She has not changed beyond recognition since she opened the letter, and nor have I. In fact, I believe it simply confirmed what we already knew about one another. We enter the school as equals and friends, and I have confidence that this will not change." _

Ros had… kept all of these?

Stunned, Chinhae sat slowly down on his bed. This was Rosalind’s haughty attempt at an apology, he knew it. It was hamfisted and ridiculous, and yet--

There was a tap at the window, and Chinhae turned.   


His stomach plummeted.

An Avalon Towers messenger hawk, tagged red, perched on the windowsill. 

An urgent message. From home.

With shaking hands, Chinhae reached out and unlatched the window. 

The book and clipping slipped off his bed and onto the floor. The pictures of him and Ros landed on top of each other, overlapping. The article disappeared under the bed. 

He did not try to retrieve them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chekov's gun except it's an unwell family member  
> (no it's not gonna go how you think)  
> (maybe)


End file.
